Mirai Nikki: Reversed Roles
by ImYunoGasai
Summary: Nightmares are often shrugged off as something that a human's mind conjures on its own. Unfortunately for poor Yuno, this is not the case. Amidst the chaos already breaking out within her home city, Sakurami, she is thrown into a survival game that is hosted by a twisted god who is hungry for entertainment... (Can't fit the entire blurb in, check ch. 0) (Cover art is by Baprima-07)
1. Beginning

_Nightmares are often shrugged off as something that a human's mind conjures on its own. Unfortunately for poor Yuno, this is not the case. Amidst the chaos already breaking out within her home city, Sakurami, she is thrown into a survival game that is hosted by a twisted god who is hungry for entertainment. With that dangerous situation in hand, Yuno is forced to cooperate with a boy who is usually put down as the "loner" or the "creep" of her school, Yukiteru. Under his concern for the girl lies a distorted deep-rooted feeling of love that ends up getting in her way. Together, the pure girl and the sinful boy must find a way to get over various hurdles that stem off of the drama that already existed in their city in order to survive. It's simple. They either take time to learn how to work together properly or face an inevitable DEAD END._

* * *

Looming over his loved one's body, the foolish boy shakily moved his hand to gently caress her shoulder. She was beautiful; her eyes were comfortably shut and her eyebrows were relaxed, along with the rest of her body. He was sobbing though. So much so that tears began to roll down his cheeks and trickle down onto the pure girl's nightgown. The harsh reality before him was quite clear but he did not want to accept the consequences that came with it. He was not ready to face them in the slightest.

"P-Please wake up…" Began the boy as he turned his focus away from his beloved's beauty. He reached for a handle that protruded out of what was once her soft neck. It was slippery to the touch which caused him to struggle to hold onto it. At last, he did, and with a lot of effort, he ripped it out of her mutilated collar. "P-Please, are you still there? I didn't mean to do anything wrong!"

Despite his desperate cries, the pure girl did not stir in the slightest. She was gone and the boy was not prepared to learn that. In fact, she died far before this- thirty minutes or so have passed since she took her final breath. Her blood drenched the lightly carpeted floor below them. The sinful red color trailed up her pretty lilac nightgown, running up to her smooth cheeks that were drained of any color. The boy reached for her limp hand, curling his quivering fingers around it tightly. He was not welcomed in by her warm skin, no, his lover was ice cold. The lack of body heat threw him off completely and from there negative thoughts began to flood his mind. He knew very well that she was gone but denied to accept it.

In the foolish boy's fit of wild denial and despair, he began to spurt things that he knew that his lover would love to hear. "W-We made a promise, remember? We have to fulfill it before one of us leaves the other behind!", whimpered the boy as he held her hand tightly. Lifting it up to his lips, the boy placed a gentle kiss on the top of it- that was his best attempt to bring her back to the living and yet she did not so much as grace him with a reaction. This caused his mind to break down even more. It fell apart to the point where he could no longer catch his breath due to the sheer amount of sobs that were forcing their way out of his throat.

The foolish but broken boy leaned downwards, laying his head on his bloody mess of a partner. Her heart was no longer beating against her chest, it was motionless. His suspicions were now confirmed and there was no reason to try to wake her up. At this point all that she could be compared to was a clay sculpture- her composure was present other than the multiple gashes that spread across her neck and her chest area, yet her figure was chilling. Even gripping her previously warm hand was enough to make the boy shiver even more than he was.

Despite these fatal injuries, the girl in her entirety looked fairly calm as if she faced death without any fear. It caused the foolish boy to succumb to grief even faster than he expected. "I-I never wanted you to leave my side…" he began as he rested his entire body against her still corpse. "I wanted to be yours... Becoming your husband was a dream that I could back up, just like you did..." As he said those words, his hands carefully ran through the pure girl's locks of pink hair, he was acting like she could feel his touch but she could not. The closer that he got to her dead body, the more blood that found its way onto his sleeveless shirt and light shorts. He ended up getting so comfortable during his breakdown that he found himself lying next to her. His face got closer and closer to hers until the tip of his nose touched the mess that was her neck. Crimson had gotten all over his nose and cheeks and his vision was filled with the close-up view of her neck.

He then shot back, screaming at the top of his lungs. His sobs, which previously slowed down, had begun again at full force. The sight that he just saw was enough to remind him what he did and stir up his stomach- the foolish boy wanted nothing more than to throw up and get rid of the disgusting thought of her ripped up body. But he did not, he instead tried to gather himself once again. His breath rattled, clearly his throat was very sore from pushing his voice over the top. The blunt pain caused him to pant and hold his own neck in his hands.

As he tried to recollect himself completely, a dim light lit up the room. This was enough for the boy to see his sin once again, completely getting rid of any chance of him calming down. He began to cry to himself once again until a figure approached him in the dark. It was a feminine creature with long hair and a pointed tail that bore an end that looked like a spade. It reached out its hand to the boy, and he unsurprisingly reached for it. From there, a blinding red light filled the room and the two were gone without a trace. The pure girl's body had gone with them.

All that can be done is to pray- Please, if anyone can hear... Pray that someone heard his cries and intends to bring her back to him before the worst happens.

* * *

…

* * *

"Lately, I've been thinking…" the foolish boy spoke to the same figure, though their surroundings were quite different from before. They sat in an empty void together- it was made up of a single white light and various shades of purple. The lack of light made seeing the two prove to be quite the challenge. Though, it was clear that the feminine creature's head had poked upwards from whatever she was reading. She cocked her head and let out a hum, wondering what the boy meant by his words.

They laid there, motionless. The only thing that moved was the little creature's tail- it gently swayed left and right as if she was wagging it. It was obvious that she was interested in what he was saying because as they exchanged words, her head tilted here and there. But out of nowhere, their hushed conversation escalated into a far more louder one. The creature shot up, dropping the book from her hand. She pointed at him as she sharply asked, "are you crazy?" There was no response from the boy.

Instead, he stood up. His messy long hair trailed down his back as he began to walk away from the feminine creature. He stopped and looked up at the only white light that the void that homed him had. A smile slowly crept up on his visage. Whatever he was thinking of made him very excited.

* * *

…

* * *

He was greeted to yet another dark room, similar to the one that he had to face his lover's death in. It was just as sinister as in the past- it reeked of the odor of rotting flesh and the humidity in the air made it challenging to breathe. Unlike the past, this did not phase the boy. Rather than recoil at the grotesque sight of mangled corpses locked up in a cage, the foolish boy approached the girl. He towered over her since she was lying on the floor. Her pink hair spread all over the carpet below and some of it even stuck to her cheek. She was asleep, her arms and legs were sprawled comfortably across the floor. For resting atop of a solid surface, the girl seemed to be very snug. It was enough to for the boy to allow a small chuckle to bubble over, which broke through the silence of the room that they both resided in.

There was a small thud just a moment after he giggled at the pure girl's adorable exterior. It appeared that he had been carrying something with him, something that was heavier than any normal object would be. But who said that it was an object? The sound stirred the girl, and very slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She was very used to the smell of rotting corpses, but the sight that she saw through the dark was one that she never thought was possible. It did not take very long for her to sit up from where she was and begin to cry out as she pushed the "object" away from her. She kept pushing it further and further away with her hands and feet, but at that very moment, she noticed that this was not the only thing that was currently in her house.

She looked up, her pink eyes meeting the foolish boy's blue ones. His slick black hair trailed down his shoulders and his body was shrouded by a tattered black robe that was hard to see in the dark. It was then that she realized that he had broken into her house and was watching her sleep, and by the expression that he wore he enjoyed it. This caused her to grow even more confused and terrified, and the girl found herself forcing her way back into the wall. The way that he was staring her down made her believe that this was the end of her life- there was nothing else other than this. To this, the girl closed her eyes tight and covered her head with her hands. She was scared- not ready to die.

"A-Amano-kun…" Began the girl as she cowered below the boy. "Please save me…"

The boy leaned down, kneeling right in front of the terrified girl. He spread his arms and hugged her tight, whispering something in her ear. Her breath caught as soon as she heard his voice, but as soon as it happened the girl collapsed, falling limp into his arms. It was as if she fell unconscious due to the sudden feeling of shock and terror, but from the looks of it, the foolish boy had planned this. He smiled a bit, mumbling one more thing to the girl as he ran his hands through her hair. He then moved his hand to her cheek, leaving it there to observe her beauty once more. Gently placing her on the ground, the boy moved over to the object that he had brought with him. It was not what it seemed.

It fell apart as soon as he touched it, twirling and distorting into a single red gem. It was bright enough to light up the room a little bit- to the point where he could now make out the corpses stashed in the cage and the girl herself. It spun in his hand at a very slow rate, showing its otherworldly power. From there, the foolish boy got close to the girl once again, flipping her onto her back as carefully as he could. Her face was now facing the ceiling and he could see it in its full. Laughing quietly, the boy leaned down and smoothed the hair out of her face and placed a kiss on her forehead. She was always so pretty in his eyes… And in just a few minutes everything would change for the better, or so he thought.

His hand neared the girl's mouth of all places, and he did his best to gently prop it open with his fingers. Then he directed the gem to her mouth, seemingly planning to get her to swallow it whole. It was a strange sight to see, but ultimately the gem would not get close enough for him to proceed with his plan. He tried to push it again, but some mysterious force was holding him from doing it. He then tried again and tried once again after he failed miserably. It would not budge when it reached a certain point. Grunting, the foolish boy pushed it down with an increasing amount of force. Eventually, he was putting his entire body into it, trying to get it to get past its limit. But it stayed where it was, unmoving.

Anger and frustration began to well up in his chest, complimenting each other and making the rage that he felt grip at his heart far worse than it should have been. As he grew increasingly impatient, the boy found himself practically taking the entire gem in his hand and pushing it down with all of his might. This is where he would regret being so very hasty.

There was a very subtle crack that emitted from the crystal that he had in his grasp. He was so distracted by his failed attempts to get it into the pure girl's mouth that he did not notice it. It happened again, and then one more time. Third time's the charm, that was when the boy finally noticed that something was off. Yet he persisted, and that was his biggest mistake. The cracks in the gem traveled up the sides, up to the very top of both ends, and at last, it shattered. It broke apart into tiny little pieces that ended up scattering all across the room like red dust. It kept glowing for a moment longer, illuminating the area with an eerie crimson light. It then died out, confirming that whatever was in it was gone.

The foolish boy's body started to tremble wildly once again, it was as if that gem was very important to him. His reaction was indescribable, the only word that could be used to partially explain would be "inhuman" His weeping, the sound that they made, were extremely painful to listen to. They were so loud and held so much distress with each cry that it would surely make anyone feel very bad for the boy. He threw himself onto the ground, pounding a fist into the ground as he repeated erratic words, saying how unfair life was towards him.

"This is what I get… Why did I even bother trying? What was the point- why was I so stupid?!" Spilled the boy as he hit the ground with more force than ever. It hurt like hell- there was a solid ground that could easily be felt beneath the thinly carpeted floor. The side of his fist that he was striking the floor with began to turn red, yet he continued. There were so many whirling emotions: pain, anger, fear… All of them mixed together to create this state of mind.

He pulled himself up, his cheeks were stained with tears. Hesitantly, the boy reached out for a little bit of red dust that covered the ground. It was no longer aglow, all signs of life in it were gone. He let the pieces fall out of the grip of his pointer finger and thumb, and they lazily drifted to the ground. His eyes were dull- it was as if all motivation had been ripped out of his core at once.

"She's gone…" He said to himself once, averting his eyes from the dust to face the pure girl. "She's gone, and it's all because of you…" Getting onto his feet sluggishly, the boy raised his right hand and a weapon formulated from seemingly nothing. It was a gun. Its unforgiving metal exterior reflected what little light there was in the room. He made his way to the girl, getting within proper proximity to shoot her head and end her life right away. He got in position and closed one eye just to make sure that he was on point. And then he froze, simply staying where he was and pointing the dangerous weapon at her. Time passed, and he fell to his knees, holding it to her head while sitting over her. All that he did was stare at her while he did this- his eyes were distant and his pupils were a chilling icy color.

His finger rested on the trigger. Thoughts ferociously raced through his mind as he kept the gun right where it would be able to shoot her brains out. His finger tightened on the trigger as his heart pounded wildly at his chest as if it was trying to tell him to stop. So many negative ideas flooded his head and they spun like a whirlpool, driving him crazy. Thus his finger tightened even more and it began to budge, then there was a click.

* * *

…

* * *

"Why…" The creature began as she circled around the boy's body, only to jab him with the pointed end of her tail. "Why would you even think of doing that?" The amount of pure disbelief that was posted on her visage was very evident. She eyed the foolish boy over, once again lashing out at him and questioning the motives behind his actions. The feminine creature was quite desperate- she wanted a solid answer. But he did not gift her with that. No, he avoided it.

The feminine creature yelled at him and scolded him with no end, yet the foolish boy acted like she did not exist. He was able to ignore every single mean word that left her mouth, no matter how scathing it was. She was just as persistent as he was though- this cycle of insults and questions did not end until he finally spoke up. Smoothing his long black hair out of his face, the boy looked the creature right in the eyes. He was already struggling to accept something- in fact, he was just laying around as he did in the past, sulking. His sudden action startled the female, who stopped her cruel insults in the tracks.

He claimed something and judging by the creature's reaction it was not adequate. In response, she began to rant and rave about his actions and his morals. The two stayed where they were and the foolish boy took every bit of abuse that she threw his way. He was unphased by any of it, but as time began to pass- days… The boy seemed to grow quite weary of the repetition in her words. It kept cutting into his deep thoughts; he was planning something. The female was dead set on the boy giving up all hope- she believed that he gave up and that he would spend the rest of his life lying in the void and rotting away. But she was wrong.

Out of nowhere, he grabbed the female creature by the tail and yanked her to the ground- and she fell with a small yelp. The boy looked her right in the eyes with his sharp icy pupils- it was enough to send a shiver up the poor girl's spine. Her tail twitched in his hand nervously, she wanted to wiggle herself free of him. But he did not let go, his grip tightened. He gritted his teeth and spoke words that did not register with the little creature right away.

* * *

_"I don't plan to ever give up."_

* * *

_"Mirai Nikki", also known as "The Future Diary" was written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. None of the characters in this fanfiction belong to me, obviously. They are simply altered to change up the story._


	2. Origin

_(4:31, ?)_

* * *

_It felt as if the girl was drifting through a world that did not exist. The lightness that she felt throughout her body was enough to convince her that she was still stuck in her very own dreamland. Was she floating through space? Of course not, an assumption like that was very easy to dismiss. It begged the question, though. Where was she? So many thoughts mixed with confusion and fear swirled throughout her head. She felt dizzy and wanted to go home before she lost her grip on reality. _

_Floating slowly, floating further, floating endlessly…. She drifted downwards, beginning to lose sight of the bright light that rested above her view. Anxiety managed to get its strong yet bitter grip on her heart, causing her to yell out for help. It was as if she truly believed that someone was nearby to help her out of the hell within her mind. The cold reality was soon apparent to the pure girl stuck in her living nightmare. No one was able to offer her aid, in fact, she was trapped inside of her head._

_She allowed a few final pleas for any sort of support to slip past her quivering lips. Unfortunately, they were drowned out by the endless void that she was falling down into. At last, she allowed her body to go limp. There was no use in struggling any further, or so it seemed. As soon as she gave up on her escape, her frame was pushed upwards. It now felt like her entire being was forced a completely opposite direction. In response, she tried to struggle but found her attempts meaning nothing. Her body was far too heavy to so much as lift a finger. This huge difference in weight threw her off, but she felt far too exhausted to give moving another go. Rising up at a faster speed than she was previously falling, the pure girl's view was now engulfed in the bright white light above her. Her eyes shut as tight as they possibly could as she braced for whatever came next._

_…_

* * *

In the next moment, the girl's eyes shot open. She sat up, frantically feeling every small detail of her face. Her cheeks were still intact, and her nose was still existent. Obviously, her eyes were there too if she could see. Letting out a sigh Yuno, the pure girl, concluded that she was still with the living.

Her delicate skin was drenched in sweat and she was still trembling even after noticing that she was back in her bed. When it came to her physical state she felt normal. Where she found herself severely lacking was her mental one since it was so busy desperately trying to piece together what her mind conjured over the night.

Yuno knew very well that she couldn't spend much time lingering on the thought though! After all, she was a dirty mess. Her usual long, smooth pink hair was now wet with sweat and ruffled up beyond belief. Her skin was not creamy, but instead sticky. In general, she felt disgusting. So, she stood up from her bed promptly and as she did, her nightgown fell past her kneecaps. Her once half-closed eyes blinked once, and then twice. At last, she was able to fully open her beautiful eyes which bore shiny pink pupils.

Without a second thought, Yuno began to stumble about her room to wake up her legs for the day. In the process of trying to collect herself, the girl reached for a fluffy white towel for her upcoming shower. She gripped it and brought it to her chest so that she could hold it without it unraveling. Satisfied, she cracked the door to her dim room open and headed towards the bath portion of her old-fashioned house. The moment that she opened the aged door that let out a tiny squeak, Yuno tiptoed into the bathroom. It was normal for her to be so cautious of her surroundings, after all, her mother was home. She knew for sure that her commonly weary mother didn't get much shut eye, so in result Yuno was as quiet and careful as could be.

Swiftly but silently, Yuno laid the towel down on the counter adjacent to the house's shower. Next, she undressed herself and rested her worn clothes neatly next to the door for her to take to the washer later. She then smoothed her hair back and turned the shower on. Steam bellowed out of the shower, just how Yuno liked it. She stepped into the range of the spraying hot water, enough to send a small comforting feeling up her legs and up to her chest.

She smiled slightly, sitting down on the plastic seat that was set up for her. Her pink locks of hair were instantly soaked by the shower-head that rested above Yuno. After allowing her hair to get wet enough, Yuno's fragile hands gripped the bottle to the shampoo. She poured enough of it out and then rubbed the surfaces of her palms together. When it spread enough to ooze out of the spaces between her fingers, she applied it to the top layer of her head and then she allowed her fingertips to slowly drift down her many strands of beautiful pink hair. As she washed the disgusting sweat out of her massive head of hair, Yuno found herself humming an enchanting tune. It was one that she heard play through a radio one night over the summer, but the lyrics that it contained caused it to become so obscure that when the girl decided to hum it, others raised their eyebrow at her.

At last, as she was rinsing her hair and replacing the runny soap with smooth conditioner, Yuno's lips parted and she began to sing the chorus of the song out loud.

* * *

**_"I don't want to cry, and I don't want to see you anymore._**

**_But my love is drawing me closer to you…_**

**_Please stay by my side, even if I burst into tears._**

**_No one could ever stop you now."_**

* * *

Yuno then froze, her grip still deep into her locks. Her eyes drifted upward as if she was observing something that nobody else could see. The new state that she was in could even be compared to a dam giving out within her mind because her once gentle and comfortable expression slowly morphed into a cold and distant one. The general idea that she now had stuck in her train of thought was simple and would be easy to pass off as minor to many, but it managed to keep Yuno's attention to the point where she dwelled on it: Why does she frequently utter the same tune over and over again?

It is clear that it does not correspond to her life in the slightest. Yes, she had it hard during a single section of her life. In fact, the terrible things that she had to suffer through as a child were enough to make any sane person gasp. Unfortunately, Yuno had trouble recalling her past beyond becoming a part of the Gasai family. All that she could possibly remember was her true mother's soft touch back when she was an infant. Besides that, she had no recollection of who took care of her when she needed it the most. Of course, the girl recognized that she was hauled to an orphanage when she was very young. Funnily enough, it was easy for her to remember the face of the old woman who cared for her when she was waiting for a family to take her in. This led up to the dark part of poor Yuno's life.

* * *

_She believed. Believed that she would be picked up by a family who would care about her and love her no matter what she was like. This amazing idea that formed was enough to leave a warm feeling in her chest when Yuno was an orphan. The only wish that she held close to her heart was to have a mother and father that she could call her own. Time passed. Weeks, into months, into years. Yuno spent a total of three years in the orphanage. Although such an extended amount of time would darken the soul of many children, Yuno went against what everyone expected and remained upbeat. Her positivity shone so brightly that her caretaker could not help but to catch her brimming happiness too. Indeed, Yuno was a magnificent girl whose personality captivated those who got to know her. It was as clear as day that she would be adopted in the near future- who wouldn't want a child as pure as her?_

_At last, the time arrived for the eager girl. A tall man wearing clothing that appeared to be fancy in her eyes entered the orphanage that she knew so very well. His dark suit was complemented by a black tie that ran down his chest, and his appearance was completed with slick black pants that led into his sturdy black shoes. Yuno's eyes sparkled when she first laid eyes on him. It was as if she knew that he would be the one to adopt her! Following behind the man was a fairly skinny woman with a fragile figure. To Yuno, it looked like if she were to slightly push against the woman, her body would collapse from the pressure. She too wore a decorative get-up that caught her attention almost instantly. _

_To Yuno's delight, this extravagant duo was looking for a child of their own, and her beautiful pink hair seemed to grab a hold their attention. Initially, they questioned the odd color of both her head and her pupils. While they discussed, Yuno found that this was the perfect time to introduce herself to them. So she did to the best of her ability, flashing her big and rosy-cheeked grin at them. Even they seemed to be drawn into the pure girl's inviting personality. In result, they selected her over the other children in the room. Yuno's heart was practically about to burst open with glee, the time finally came for her! The caretaker who knew the girl for years was forced to depart with her little bundle of joy. Their goodbyes were exchanged, and so was a gentle hug. The woman patted her on the back gently, telling her:_

_"__I know that you will grow up to be a very happy yet inspiring person, Yuno…__"_

_And with those last words, Yuno was whisked away from her bony grip. _

_Yuno never thought that she would be brought to such a fancy-looking home, much less be taken home by such kind parents. They greeted her with such a gentle tone in the car, it made her heart skip a beat. Of course, they told her the basics. Their names- Ushio and Saika Gasai. This meant that she was no longer just Yuno, but Yuno Gasai. In all honesty, she loved her new last name completely. It rolled off of the tongue nicely and went very well with her first name. Nodding excitedly, the pure girl introduced herself- jokingly sticking Gasai onto the end of her name to amuse her new parents. They enjoyed her upbeat personality and felt like they made the correct choice. Yuno's opinion did not drift too far from theirs, as she believed that she was taken in by the best set of parents ever._

_Her gaze was set upon their grandiose residence, which heavily resembled an old fashioned Japanese home, rather than a modern one. Yuno definitely did not have a problem with that- if her new family happened to be very cultured, then she would adapt just to make them smile. The two began to step out of the car, and after they did, her new father opened the car door for her politely. The girl bowed her head, telling him that she appreciated his kindness. He responded, telling her that it was no problem at all. Amidst their exchange of words, Yuno noticed that she still had not talked to her mother. So, she reached out, which resulted in a little bit of hesitation from the woman. It did not seem like anything was wrong with her, it just appeared that she was very nervous to talk to her child. Perhaps it was because she did not want to give off a poor first impression? Yuno wanted to believe that, so she remained optimistic and said hello to her. Saika slowly returned the wave, and then apologized for being so silent during the entire situation. Yuno insisted that it was okay and that she understood since it really was a lot to take in._

_One by one, the family entered the home. The breath was taken out of Yuno's lungs instantly at what she saw. Everything about her new dwelling was beyond amazing! The interior was beautiful. It followed the old-fashioned theme of the house while managing to remain fairly new-looking. Next, the map of the house was simple. One floor, a few big rooms, and smaller ones for bedrooms and such. Clearly, it would be very easy to memorize the home. Even better, every room that she entered was better than the last. The entrance was enough to give a visitor a positive initial reaction, whether it be amazement, shock, or comfort. Following the hall led to various other smaller rooms. Stemming off of it was the bathroom, their bedrooms, closets… It was perfect in Yuno's eyes. On the opposite side of their humble abode laid their main room, also called the family room, and the kitchen. Their main room also doubled up as a dining room, which gave the home a very deep-rooted sweet and unique feeling. Altogether, Yuno knew that her life was going to be great here alongside Ushio and Saika. Or, in her case, Papa and Mama._

_Fortunately, the thoughts that she had about her future were true! Her mother and father took care of her and treated her as if she were a princess. They got her what she wanted, praised her when she did good, and generally handled her very well. Nothing could go wrong, Yuno believed. In her view, she would grow up and succeed in life with the help of her adoptive parents. She had huge ambitions that spanned past many of her peers. Her goal in life was to become a teacher. Specifically, a cooking teacher, since she found enjoyment in concocting various meals at home alongside her mother. To add onto her shining accomplishments and wishes, she also earned top marks that set her further than other students her age. If she kept on this trail, they would have to assign her to high school classes early! This vast knowledge that she held came from herself of course but supporting it was one other source. Her mother wished for her to be top of the school boards, though she exerted this want of hers in a gentle manner. Her unique approach to teaching Yuno and helping her sent the pure girl spiraling upward in regard to her marks. Yuno broke through every expectation of her teachers and her parents alike. At home, her life was comfortable with next to no problems- the only minor one being her that her mother was strangely quiet around her sometimes. It was difficult for Yuno to acknowledge that as something that conflicted her life, since it simply seemed to be that her mother did not like talking up a storm, unlike her father who had his moments._

_All was well in the life of the pure girl until the final surface that held back the true hell in her mother's head finally broke into pieces. This was all brought about by a financial recession in Japan that caused much trouble within the walls of the Gasai family. Yuno was told long ago- back when she was first adopted- that her father was the founder of the biggest and most trusted bank in Sakurami. It was simply named: "The Gasai Bank" Due to the sudden recession, his bank was put into full panic mode and then ended up screeching into a halt. This sudden stop caused his occupation to fall apart, and it was forced to work hard to try to make up for the lost time. This resulted in a huge blockade forming between him and his flowing income, which caused his family to fall into distress. Poor Yuno had no clue what became of her beloved mother and father, but out of nowhere their light attitudes fell into darkness and became quite deformed and corrupted. Her father began to avoid coming home, which confused the young girl very much. Her usual lucky-go family was now dull and depressed. Yuno, who was stuck in the past, still tried to cheer her dear father up when he visited their home, but to no avail. _

_Though her father was one major part of her family who fell into despair, her mother was the one who was affected the most. The once quiet yet content woman began to break down, unknowingly devolving into a monster. She began to lash out at Yuno, first verbally and then physically and mentally. It started off small- insults, yelling about her being far too happy… The bitter words then turned onto thorny ones that could pierce the heart and soul. Saika would often scream at Yuno for minor cases, such as coming home ten minutes late and scoring two points above the best in school. She always claimed that her child was supposed to be an elitist but she was beginning to fall behind and become a disgrace to the family. Yuno could not handle the sudden change, and she retreated. Usually, she would attempt to avoid her mother or even go as far as giving her the silent treatment. Unfortunately for Yuno, she was forced to talk to her mother whenever her dark eyes faced her direction. No matter what she did, anything that she tried to do to escape her wrath, every attempt was useless. _

_Finally, the darkest point of her life came. One day, while her father still had not returned from work, Yuno decided to slightly talk back to her mother. Her strong words caused Saika to spiral downwards into a mental breakdown. The panicked girl attempted to soothe her mother, apologizing about what she did to her. Yuno was then introduced to her enemy, one that she would often face for years to come. Set up within a dark and freezing room was an unforgiving cage that her mother had bought fairly recently. Whenever Yuno so much as talked back, did something wrong in school, came home late… She would be tossed into the same godforsaken cage time and time again. When she resided in that raw room, she would regularly receive a heavy mouthful from her sobbing mother. The phrases and insults that slipped past her quivering chapped lips would leave Yuno in shambles. She too would cry and beg for forgiveness in the presence of her broken mother. "Please stop i-it, Mama… I love you so much, I didn't m-mean to make you angry!" Was something that would always wriggle its way out of Yuno's mouth through her continuous weeping. Her pleas did not please her mother, and she would often get pulled by the hair, hit, forcefully pushed into the cold cage, or mentally abused to the point where endless tears were streaming down the pure girl's cheeks. Heartbreakingly, little Yuno who once had so much hope for life slowly began to have her youthful fire snuffed out. It took time, though. No, she did not lose her grip on reality until further into her experience of abuse. _

_When Yuno had to make it through those cloudy and dull days that pulled at the strings of her sanity, she barely had any idea of how to go about it. Many different mixed thoughts would force their way into the doors of Yuno's mind. Twisted ideas such as running away from home or even killing her own mother popped in here and there, causing Yuno to devolve into a violently spasming and bawling mess in her cage. On days like those, her mother would yell at Yuno, attempting to overpower the volume of her cries. Instead of degrading her own daughter, she instead went after herself. In fact, her comments soon drifted away from the topic of Yuno completely. Saika began to apologize to Yuno for multiple reasons: For being a horrible mother and for everything that she has ever done to hurt her beloved daughter. Yuno always accepted her gentle-feeling words but was always left in the cold prison regardless. _

_It seemed like the situation could only go down from this point- there was no light at the end of the tunnel for the youth. Finally, though, the money conflict within her home city began to recover, and before she knew it, the economy entered a season of prosperity in Japan. The news came very slowly to Yuno. Her pain came less and less to her, until it was barely noticeable. The biggest change that occurred to her was the sharp decrease in visits to the cage. Following that, her father began to come home much more than he did before. At last, her family began to come back together. Clearly, it came much more suddenly than Yuno ever thought. Unfortunately, tensions were high in the Gasai family. When it came to the relationship between Yuno and her own mother, they just could not find a way to get along. The thread that held them together was her kind-hearted father, who tried his very best to keep the relationship between his wife and daughter positive. Yes, they did speak from time to time and that pleased him. But other than that, there was nothing else between them… And that problem persists today. _

* * *

Yuno blinked a few times and progressively came back to reality. Her mess of hair had sponged up much of the water that rained down on her as she traced over her life that lead up to where she is today. Letting out a small sound, her gentle hands inched their way to her damp eyes. It was difficult to catch the fact that she was crying over the thought of her past since she was in the process of showering. But she concluded that it was best to finish up her thought process- after all, she was attempting to get to something prior to her sudden trail of flashbacks. So she looked upwards at the washroom light once more.

Blood Teller. She had a hard time trying to connect such a pretty song to her ugly life. Of course, she could go out on a limb and say that the tune in itself was very elegant and it found a way to enchant almost anyone who hears it at first. When she was just a child in the orphanage, her caretaker constantly reminded her that she had the power to catch anybody's attention. But she did not know whether to believe that or not, after all, nobody adopted her until much later. Just like that song, which was widely ignored due to the unrelatable lyrics that it contained. That thought process was nothing but a stupid effort put in by Yuno to try to relate her life to a simple song. In general, she knew that there was no use in trying. She must have been very tired, which caused her to think much more than she usually did. In result, Yuno finally decided that it was best to wrap up her shower, dismissing the seemingly unimportant thought.

She did, and she stood up and stepped out of the area- switching the water off and promptly grabbing a hold of a nearby towel to ruffle out all of the wetness that she could. That swift movement was followed by her wrapping the towel around the bottom half of her body. Just in case her father was home or her mother was awake, she grabbed a second towel to wrap around her chest. When both fluffy cloths were tightly tied around both sections of her body, she began to make her way towards her room. The walk itself was smooth since nobody ended up popping out from behind a corner to see her current state. She tiptoed into her room and gently closed the door behind her. As soon as the coast was clear, she removed the towels that were stiffly wrapped around her and began to use the upper one to dry any drops of water that made their way down her long head of hair. At last, her hair was completely dry and it was safe to clothe herself without her outfit becoming soaking wet.

Yuno's final decision when it came to her clothing was her trademark blue school uniform. The shirt is blue with a white and yellow pattern on either side, along with a white collar that poked out near the top. This made the shirt appear symmetrical. Her skirt was a darker shade of blue with small depressions here and there, making the piece of clothing feel longer than it actually was. Finally, it was equipped with an adorable red bow as its centerpiece, which had small ribbons that ran down both sides at the perfect length, wrapping up her look. Yuno always wore brown slide-on shoes along with this very outfit, but she found herself alternating between long and short socks. Today, she chose to wear long ones to cover her legs since the weather outside was somewhat breezier than usual.

As expected, Yuno was in no rush to eat breakfast and head to school. In fact, she had about an hour to get to her building. She grabbed her small messenger back that served as her school bag and stepped into the kitchen to grab herself some food. Nothing much, just a single piece of buttered toast to munch on. Unlike many others her age, Yuno disliked eating before school because it made her feel much more tired than usual in her first few class periods. She was very aware of that problem of hers, and it caused her to not even spare the time to eat the crust of the bread. Instead of letting it go to waste, though, she broke the crunchy bread into pieces and threw it out to the birds who popped in and out of her home's backyard. Her mother was never happy with her tendency to throw food out to the animals since it encourages them to return, but something about their peaceful nature made her feel warm inside. Unlike what her mother herself made her feel- cold and unsafe. Just like the cage that she was kept in back when her mother's depression had its prickly roots dug deep in her heart. Yuno shuddered at the thought of being thrown in there once more. She would not be able to bear it mentally, and she felt very glad that that prison was brought out of the house by her father. No matter, Yuno could not let the reminiscence of her earlier days hold her back from being happy. She took in a deep breath as she gripped her bag's leather strap, and nodded as she stepped by the door to reassure herself that everything was going to go as planned. Today was going to be an amazing day and she knew it.

After all, the pure girl had no right to be negative, at least in her mind. The abuse that she was forced to suffer through was cut short because her amazing father stepped in and made the pain cease. If he were to have never interfered, who knows what would have happened? Yuno could've been forced to eat something that isn't naturally edible, such as the tatami mat that was near the cage, in order to live another day. That's right, Yuno was malnourished during this time period. She was very close to giving in and eating dirt, dust, and the straw from the mat she sobbed on. She was saved and was now considered a survivor of major mental and physical abuse. There was no room in her mindset to be depressed like her disturbed mother, that's for sure.

The light that emitted from the world outside drew Yuno in instantly. She longed to experience the beautiful day outside. Luckily for her, she began to get ready so early that she had a lot of time to slow down her pace and observe the wonders around her. The squirrels and chipmunks who skittishly ran up trees and other surfaces looking for nuts to get them and their families through yet another week… The birds who were perched in the tree, singing as if their lives depended on it… The leaves, grass, and other plants that danced in the gentle spring breeze… Yuno couldn't help but to smile at all of these amazing gifts that life bestowed upon her and her peers. Although life itself had treated Yuno poorly, she still held onto the ability to enjoy nature. Indeed she did, to the point where she considered herself an observer of nature. Unfortunately for others, Yuno had trouble trusting them past an acquaintance. Even her friends were not safe from this distance that she put between them. As for a family, an even thicker wall rested between them.

Yuno's daily trod through the outer pathways of Sakurami City was quickly coming to an end. She failed to notice how close she was to her massive school due to her being so distracted by the munching animals and the spinning plants. When the first section of it peeked from behind the wall of a nearby building, Yuno could not stop herself from grinning. Another day chock filled with learning, socialization, and fun. More importantly, Yuno was able to enjoy yet another day away from her home. Away from her monstrous mother who she had difficulty forgiving.

* * *

_"Mirai Nikki", also known as "The Future Diary" was written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. None of the characters in this fanfiction belong to me, obviously. They are simply altered to change up the story._


	3. Displacement

Yuno believed that these positive thoughts would be able to linger in her head for at least a few more moments. After all, she was surrounded by breathtaking sights provided by nature! Looking closer, it was as if she was ready to start whistling and skipping to her destination. In her opinion, she had no reason to stress over anything that was thrown her way. But, she was not ready for what she going to be greeted with in the slightest. There, in front of her school, stood a cluster of children. No, it could not be referred to as a mere crowd. Younglings were practically spilling out of the side of her school as they attempted to fit into the school's massive cafeteria. Sure, it was pretty big for an average sized high school and all, but trying to fit that many children into a single room is ridiculous! It must have been very hot in there to begin with, she couldn't bear to think of how much of a mess it was for those poor kids.

Of course, Yuno did not stop in her tracks for this. She had to find out what was going on and what she could do to help out. So she took a few more steps towards the school's entrance until she was suddenly stopped by a male teacher. Yuno's eyes drifted upwards to scan his tall but rigid appearance. He had long red hair that ran smoothly downwards until it reached a certain point- where a dark hair-tie gently held the rest of it, separating it from the shorter hairs on his head. Yuno backed away slightly, believing that she did something that offended the man due the was he abruptly cut her off. Instead, he opened his mouth and gently stated, "Gasai, you can not be here right now."  
The girl could not get the thought through her head, she was never told to back off from the school premises before. Raising an eyebrow, she shot her body forward and slowly put her hands up, showing her persistence.

"Hiyama-Sensei, why are all of these children here?" Yuno began, and continued with, "did something happen?"

Hiyama chucked and praised Yuno for her selfless concern for others, which was not strange to see when it came from her. He then decided to satisfy her curiosity a tiny bit since she was so hungry for an answer.

"You see, a problem was discovered in the core of one of our city's most active orphanages" He averted his eyes towards a group of children who all shared one thing- puffy eyes with tears sliding down their cheeks. The view would pain anyone, but Hiyama simply averted his eyes back to the girl in front of him. "There was a, say, lock down on many orphanages in the city. Our mayor wishes to round up these children in a safe area so the police force can successfully deem each and every orphanage safe. Do you understand?"

There was not as much as an inkling of doubt from Yuno as she listened to what her teacher had to tell her. Being the respectful and considerate student that she was, Yuno nodded and simply responded with "I understand. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"Now, now…" Her teacher let out a small laugh, waving her offer off. "I know that you are very selfless student, and that is why so many look up to you. But what you need to do in order to help is stay out of this, okay?"

Hiyama received a nod from the girl, confirming that she understood his request completely. "W-Well…" She stuttered a little bit, giving him a small shaky smile as if she expected her determined exterior to change the situation. "I hope that things go well, then." At that moment, it seemed as if their conversation was at its end it that it was time for her to spin around and go home. But out of nowhere yet another question that clawed at her brain arose, and she worked up the courage to speak up once more.

"What about our classes? Did the school board relocate them?"

Mr. Hiyama once again averted his eyes, and Yuno could not understand why he kept looking away from her. Perhaps it was all of the commotion outside of his dear school today that made him act differently. It did not take him to open his mouth to tell her the answer.

"Yes, of course they were relocated. Though, I have a feeling that nobody is planning to show up. It is not just me, the other teachers also have the same feeling. So much so that we concluded that it was best to skip out on taking attendance today."

"Where was it changed to?" Yuno asked, attempting to get a clear answer. She was greeted to a long sigh from the man.

"Gasai, why don't you just enjoy your day off?" Questioned Hiyama, who was beginning to grow impatient with the girl. "If you really want to attend school, it's at Sakurami's local business center. Go on, now." The sound of his bitter tone caused her to recoil. It was as if she had just uncage a snake and it took a bite at her arm. Flinching a little bit, Yuno simply nodded and muttered, "Okay, have a good day…"

The two finally parted ways. Yuno's pink spheres watched the man until he was engulfed by the crowd of children trying to find a place to rest. The scene once again caused Yuno to drift into her own deep thoughts, but she spun on her heel and began to leave her school's campus, not before securing her leather bag around her shoulder. Her head was angled downwards towards the sidewalk, and her body seemed to slump. It may have been stupid to others, but Mr. Hiyama snapping at her like he did just now saddened her. After all, she never tested anyone's patience, much less a member of the school faculty. Of course, with the growing feeling of despair Yuno felt her body grow heavy and tired as if something was holding her down. She herself did not understand why she cared so much about this. It took a moment of silent strolling and reflection to notice what was causing this immense feeling of sorrow.

That's right- Yuno is an orphan just like the children that she glimpsed at in the school building. Her small peek at them revealed much about them, it was as if Yuno could read them like a book. They too wanted families and they never once wished that their lives would ever become such a mess. Most of the time, the orphanage owners were kind to their children though… Yuno could not fathom just how depressed it made them to have to live with an owner who treated them as badly as their parents may have in the past. Yes, Yuno had problems of her own where her new mother was the one to take part of her childhood away from her grasp, but she still knew that there were good people out there somewhere. After all, her father was never cruel to her. Most importantly, the old lady who cared for her seemed to truly love Yuno and seemed to be in pain when she was forced to part with her. That old lady was the one who gave Yuno the strength to keep going. Things may have been very bad, they could even be compared to hell, but she knew that light still existed at the end of the tunnel. As for these children, they either did not know their parents or were given away, or even taken away from protective services due to abuse. Along with that, the orphanage owner that they knew did not help apparently. The conditions that they were forced to suffer through were so poor that the orphanage and many other ones had to be closed for inspection or completely.

Her heart ached for them. Not only because they reminded her of her past that lay before the worst, but the thought in general made her feel a deep-rooted sinking feeling. Really, she did not anticipate to see such a sight today, nor did she expect to be sent down into the dumps so quickly. It was easy for Yuno to decide that it was best to attend school today, even if many people did not have plans to show up. Maybe luck will shine on her and each and every one of her friends will be there to talk the saddening thoughts out of her mind! At least, that is what she wanted to think would happen.

* * *

So, Yuno lifted her head and tried to shake the shackle that held her down off of her. Yeah, her friends would be around to help lift her spirits for sure! That sudden burst of positivity caused Yuno's previous slow pace to speed up. Before she knew it, she was entering the heart of Sakurami. It was chock-full of shops, services, and many other buildings that helped keep the city stable. The business building was very close to where she was standing, she just had to scan through the nearby signs to pinpoint where it was exactly. Obviously, she could not stand in the middle of the sidewalk and hold others up, so she continued her stroll as her pink pupils danced from one sign to the next. They finally stopped when she located what she was searching for, and her lips instantaneously curved into an adorable smile. The solution to her heartache was sitting right in that building, waiting for her to arrive.

Her intuition was spot on, because sitting in the small gathering of people were her two best friends! Yuno's heart skipped a beat and she made her way to her friends, planning to be playful and catch them off guard by gently tapping their shoulders with her hands. She did just that, and the two turned on their seats immediately to greet her. Yuno waved to them and pulled a chair from a nearby desk over to their shared surface to get in on the conversation. What's new? Any school drama other than the obvious? The curious girl gave out small questions here and there to catch up with her friends despite the fact that they often text. As they exchanged words, a substitute teacher inched his way to their table to take attendance. It was only taken within her homeroom, as each class was. The substitute teacher's finger gently scanned down a paper as he read the names of students aloud. Surprisingly, at least half of Yuno's homeroom was present. Compared to the rest of the school who only had a quarter at most, their homeroom had enough students to conduct a normal homeroom, if today was a normal day that is.

The troublemakers of the class were not around, which made the partially missing homeroom meeting a bit nicer. Kousaka Ouji, absent. His friends, absent. Yuno's friends, present. Yuno, present. Yuno silently checked off the list in her mind as the teacher read it aloud. Her thoughts were put to a sudden halt when the last name was announced.

"Yukiteru Amano? Is there an Amano here?"

Yuno, who was resting her head on her arms with her eyes peacefully shut slowly rose up, her pink eyes facing her friends.

"What is it, Yunocchi?" One of her friends questioned, cocking their head as if they truly did not understand. It was clear to them though, even without speaking they could conclude the consensus between the group was that Yukiteru was a strange student. Although he did show up for school most of the time, he would have sudden periods where he disappeared or left school earlier than usual, which resulted in the faculty conducting a search for him.

"Hmm, nothing…" She hummed and averted her eyes to the teacher. "Just listening to who didn't show up."

To this, Yuno's friends raised an eyebrow. Why did she care, they wondered? It was normal to want to know more about the most mysterious student in her class, but to care about Kousaka and his baddies was something else. But then the thought struck them; Kousaka considers himself a friend of Yuno despite the fact that she constantly pushes him away and tells him that she has no interest in befriending him. Yuno is generally a very social and kind student, but when students who have a reputation for picking on others try to reach out to her she truly has no intention to become their friend much less speak to them. It was best not to challenge Yuno, and they were able to conclude the motives behind her thinking anyways so the two simply replied with an "ah, I see…"

Of course, they were not stupid. By the distracted look on Yuno's face and the moment that she happened to look up, she was clearly thinking about the loner of Sakurami Middle School alone. Yukiteru. Strangely, Yuno did not acknowledge her painfully discernible visage. Instead she laughed it off and attempted to start conversation. With her charisma that drew people in along with her smooth words, Yuno was able to widdle her way out of the awkward situation that she had just created and replace it with a much lighter one.

They had their normal talk consisting of school shenanigans, how their family is doing, and the stability of their grades. There was much more thrown in, but generally their conversation was a mixing pot of school and home drama. Yuno often got very into her words, telling her friends about how her mother and father are treating her well and taking her out to places. In fact, her life has been improving to the point where her strict curfew of 5PM was pushed back to 7PM as long as there was parental guidance from her friend's parents involved, which was a start compared to what she was stuck with just months ago.

Nothing much happened other than their exchange of words, and after about an hour students were free to leave. They were counted as present, which did not matter much anyways due to the lack of care about the day. Still, Yuno was very happy that she was marked to be here regardless of how minor it was. Her friends did not plan to stay all day, so after a bit more chit chat they finally stood up and decided that it was time to go. Instead of leaving her behind, her two friends reached out and invited Yuno to maybe munch on some food in a nearby cafe. It did not take much thought, she nodded and stood up to walk alongside them.

* * *

Spending time with her friends as they strolled through their home city on such a beautiful day was enough to make Yuno's heart flutter. Her life was finally normal which is what she prayed for every night after a dark night of dealing with her mother's fury. She had friends, a recovering family and a normal school life. Geez, life was good for the girl! Her and her friends selected a cafe, which was simply titled _"Cafe de Sakurami" _It did not take much to understand that the title was French for Cafe of Sakurami. Although it held the title for the most underwhelming name in Yuno's eyes, the food and drinks that they serve more than made up for it.

They entered the building and were promptly led to a table where the two friends sat on one side, and Yuno rested on the opposite to it. The menus were slid to them, and they quickly began to decide what they wanted.

"Say, why are you guys out so early?" The server asked them from across the empty room, as he fixed a chair that an impolite guest didn't push back in properly.

"I don't know." One of Yuno's companions responded after the ear-grinding sound of the chair sliding across the floor ceased. "Something about orphans being displaced after the orphanage owner was exposed for abuse or somethin' of that sort."

"That's sick..." Muttered the man as he wiped sweat off with the napkin that he had in hand. "And I take it that your classes were let out early due to it?"

The three nodded, and then the second girl opened her mouth to give her input. She made motions with her hands to make her little story a bit more dramatic, as if it needed the emphasis. "When I entered the school, the doors were practically spilling children! Not only was it one orphanage, but it was everyone in the city along with others outside of it. What a mess!" It was clear that she had thrown in a little lie to make it into a drama.

Yuno rolled her eyes at her friend's personal twist on the story. She decided to correct her in order to help the confused man. "You see, the building was full but the entirety of our faculty and others who volunteered to help take care of the children were also there. I doubt that everyone there was a child who was sent from the orphanage." She then moved her arm, so she could rest her cheek on her palm. "I can agree that it was a mess though. I feel horrible for those children, they looked so , I wanted to help them but I was sent away by a teacher."

"I see. The man exhaled deeply as he threw the napkin into a trash can that stood on the other side of the single-roomed cafe. "Well, let's lighten up the mood, alright? What would you girls like to drink?"

It didn't take so much as a second thought for Yuno's friends to declare what they wanted to have. Coffee and tea, the normal. Personally, she did not know what she wanted. Usually she enjoyed a nice cotton-candy flavored soda, the blue kind that often came with a bendy straw and a cherry. Others shrugged it off as something that is meant for a child though, so Yuno took in a breath and asked for iced tea. The owner of the cafe nodded, and went on his way to procure the drinks that the trio had requested.

When he left them, the daily photo exchange between her friends commenced. Yuno, instead of showing them anything new that she had, allowed her attention to drift to the nearby window, and her thoughts began to trail off. Feelings of fear and sadness gushed into her head, that of the orphans and her nightmare from the morning. She shook her head and clamped her eyes shut as she tried to dismiss the negative topic that she turned her attention to. Fortunately, her friends had decided that it was best to try to talk to her when they noticed her distance from them.

"Say, Yuno…" The girl sitting across from her began as she tapped her own chin gently. "How's your 'diary' going?" Her words were followed by a small chuckle since she knew very well that Yuno loved to rave about everything that she entered into that light blue flip phone of hers.

Her speculation was not too far off as Yuno's eyes lit up and she smiled wide. "Ah, it's going well!" Chimed she, as her hand gripped for her phone that she had rested on her lap. Snapping it open, Yuno faced the tiny screen towards them. In it was a picture of her along with her mother and father, and they seemed to be your everyday happy family. "Yesterday, Mama Papa and I went to the nearby shopping center! Papa wanted to make Mama and I happy so he bought us a lot of things with the money that he had." She took a moment to breathe, and hastily continued. "Although he does not have as much money as before, he tries his best to give us gifts to make us smile! And look at this." Yuno then closed her phone, and flashed a charm that was tied around a small loop at the bottom that was meant for key chains. It was a charm of a shiny red heart, and it was held up by a small piece of string. From first glance, it seemed that it did not have much support, but as long as she was careful the string would not snap.

Her buddies listened to her the entire time, nodding and giving her small smiles in return whenever she said something that was cute. When she finally ceased her talking and put her phone back on her lap, the friend sitting diagonally from her position bubbled "That sounds very fun, Yunocchi! I'm so glad that you had a nice day." Yuno nodded quickly.

Once again, the girl was pulled away from the darkness that resided in the back of her mind. How long can this possibly persist? After all, she cannot avoid those deeper thoughts forever.

At last, the fresh drinks were distributed to the each respective girl by the man. As he passed out the straws, he asked them if they would like anything else. One of the girl confirmed that they would indeed like to eat something, and the man nodded and began to write down what they wanted. Of course, it would be nothing too big. Just a little snack. So little in fact that all Yuno asked for was a few slices of white bread. Of course, her selection caused the other two girls to raise an eyebrow at her but she simply shrugged and let out a small giggle, saying that she wanted to avoid spoiling her dinner for tonight. Unlike her, the duo that sat across from her ordered more of a meal, asking for noodles with butter along with a bigger piece of bread. Yes, their choices were plain but it was enough to hold them over.

They now had to prepare for their food. Once they moved their glasses out of the way, they decided that the best way to pass time was to socialize once more rather than stick their heads in their phones. The girl sitting across from her decided to strike up a nice conversation by asking Yuno, "why did you decide to start writing your Family Photo Diary?"

Yuno thought about it for a moment, turning her view to the window once more, which exposed the busy roads of Sakurami outside the premises. There was no rhyme or reason why she started to write it, really. Due to that, Yuno was at a loss for words. But she knew very well that she had to say something, so she dug deep into her heart to try to find a way to word her complex feelings that lay beyond the simple words "just because"

"I guess it has something to do with the warm feeling I always encounter when I recall the past…" Said Yuno in a doubtful tone. In reality she was not sure if this was the real reason or not. "I don't know, I like to know that something happened, if that makes sense."

Her hesitant answer did not seem to satisfy their curiosity, and it that was clear due to the slowed flutter of their eyelids after she finished her explanation.

Yuno sighed and shrugged her shoulders gently. "Look, just don't know guys... It's a pastime." It was clear that she could not formulate an answer to their question, and in result she gave in and left it at that. What else could she possibly tell her friends without telling them a lie?

"Well, Yunocchi…" The girl sitting in front of her clapped her hands together as she put on a big smile. "As long as it makes you happy, I'm fine!" Her answer did not sit well with Yuno in the slightest though. Was she possibly trying to tell her that there was something wrong with writing a diary on her phone? Obviously she wanted to interrogate her friend to figure out why she asked in the first place, but decided that it was best to simply dismiss the question to avoid any future arguments.

Finally, their warm meals were placed into the chilling table in front of them. They smelled divine, even if they were simply plain bowls of noodles. The only one who did not have a meal that caused mouths to water was Yuno, who was munching on her slices of white bread without much of a problem. Talk about underwhelming- the bread was not buttered or toasted in the slightest! It was difficult to fathom why she bothered ordering food if that was all that she asked for.

The table remained silent due to the three girls continuously putting a bit of food in their mouth, bit by bit until they finally finished. Yuno was the first to eat up, and she even topped it off by finishing her drink before the other two. While waiting for the others, she leaned on her palm and flipped her diary open once again, scanning over what she wrote in the past. She felt strangely self conscious ever since her companions pointed out her entries, but that would not stop her from creating yet another entry when she made it home. After all, not even the tough wall that stood between Yuno and her mother stopped her from writing. Small questions that her friends challenged her with did not budge her want to continue creating entries.

The two girls who sat in front of Yuno finished their tiny snack in a timely fashion, and put a finishing touch on their meal by dabbing a napkin on their lips gently to wipe off any excess butter. With a subtle smile, Yuno asked, "Was it good?" To that question, the girls nodded profusely. It was as if they were completely oblivious to her discomfort that arose from the question, because as soon as they finished their food they began to chat again. Throwing them a pained beam, Yuno bowed her head and stood up from the table.

"Oh? Going so soon, Yunocchi?" One girl questioned with a small hint of disappointment in her tone.

"I am. Thank you for the nice lunch." Responded Yuno with genuine thankfulness in her kind words. "Here…"

Her hand gently reached in her school bag, and she rustled through it until she picked out some yen. "It's not much, and I'm very sorry. It's all that my mother gave me for the day, but um…" Averting her pink eyes to the table, she allowed the money to roll out of her hand. "I hope that it'll do."

"Of course, of course." Her other friend waved it off like it was nothing. "You've saved us in so many ways by lending you your allowance, so we'll take this one just for you!"

"Thank you, once again." She answered. Slowly, Yuno stood up from the table and began to take her leave. Before she went, she made sure that she waved to the man, who was working on cleaning before things got busy. She opened the door which emitted a small ring, and very carefully, she closed it behind her without looking back at her friends.

Instantly, she swiped the diary which was hanging off of her wrist and flipped open so she could see the dim screen. There was nothing to be ashamed about, she attempted to convince herself as she read over the positive things she wrote about her family. It gave off a very bittersweet vibe; despite what happened to her in the past she was still able to muster kind words about the two. Sure, she did it in a way that is not very… Common. But at least it wasn't too strange. Perhaps other people did the same thing as her but did not want to admit it! Writing notes in a phone isn't close to a lost art.

As she inched her way towards the closing of the city's plaza, Yuno was left with a somewhat sweet feeling spreading across her chest. She knew for a fact that she did not do anything wrong, or anything that drifted too far from the norm. Her friends must have been curious, right? The light thought lifted some of the weight off of her shoulders, and Yuno was able to look up at last. Ahead of her lay a very long stretch of sidewalks, and if she followed them for long enough she would run into her house. It jutted out compared to other homes in the neighborhood since it was a bit behind for the time. The rest homes that sat next to it, even though they were far, were all modern-looking homes. Yuno did not mind the difference- in fact, she preferred the look of her house. It gave off a vibe that no other structure could.

* * *

The sun was suspended very high in the sky- the highest that it could possibly be. It must have been noon at least telling by the light that it gave off. Yuno was about fifteen minutes away from her neighborhood by foot, and she was approaching a set of homes that could be considered two neighborhoods away. In spite of the sun providing her with a very upbeat atmosphere and her ability to shrug off her friends' curiosity, as she stepped closer and closer to the houses she began to feel something peculiar. An off-putting sense of dread.

Shakily, she picked up her pace. Something about the location made her wish to stay away. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and it seemed like a perfectly normal place, even down to the estates themselves. But there was no second thought in the girl's mind; she wanted to get away. Her pace soon turned into a run, although the girl did not have a clue what she was running from. It was clear that she did not know her surroundings either, because this sudden outburst of speed caused her to trip over a depression in the sidewalk. Yuno's mind was not able to catch up with what happened right away, but when it did she slowly shifted into a sitting position. Her knee had a fresh scrape on it, and around it her sock was out of place and dirty. Sighing, Yuno dusted it off and continued despite the fact that her wound was oozing blood.

* * *

Her home was easy to spot, considering that it was gated in and set aside from the others. Hastily, she entered and took her shoes off before they could so much as touch the clean hardwood floor below her. She would not mind leaving a few marks if she lived on her own, but she knew for a fact that her mother would be extremely displeased. The last thing Yuno wanted to do was cause her to go off again.

Rooms ahead of her were dimly lit, suggesting that only one small light was on in each of them. This gave her enough light to navigate through the corridor. The girl gingerly stepped through the hall, searching for the doorway that led to her mother's room. Unsurprisingly, her door was open enough for Yuno to see her. Usually, she was so exhausted that she would fall asleep without preparing for bed in the first place. Yuno inched closer and closer to the edge of her bed until her cold hands could finally reach out and grab a hold of her mother, who was wrapped snugly in a blanket. It did not take very much to wake her up. She was always a very light sleeper. And god, the moment her dull eyes opened Yuno felt her heart drop to her stomach. But instead of waking up and lashing at the frightened girl for being a bother Saika, her mother, gave her a faint yet significant smile. It did not take much to notice that it was forced but Yuno would take this situation over what she was given in the past at any time. Saika sat up and calmly blinked a few times at nothing.

"Child…" The groggy mother began, "what time is it?"

Yuno blinked a few times on her own in response. Usually, she knew what time it was but… Ever since that panic that took control of her body when she was strolling past that neighborhood, her mind felt sort of foggy. She flipped her phone open and her pink orbs scanned over the bright screen that pierced the dark bedroom. "11:32. We were let out of out classes earlier than usual." Mumbled the girl.

Saika rubbed her head gently with her thumbs, as she allowed a small hiss of a breath slip past her teeth. "Why is that?" Questioned her, "what have they been doing to your education?"

"No, no…" Yuno insisted, averting her eyes to the end of the bed and then back at her mother's dull expression. "It due to an emergency in our city. They will most likely reschedule the day to a later date, so in the end we lost nothing."

The woman slowly nodded, responding with "I see. As long as they find a way to make it up…"

As strict as always. Yuno knew that her mother took school seriously, even after everything that happened in the past. She expected Yuno to be perfect in every way shape or form, inside and outside of the house. At this point, Yuno did not mind. Although her life was tough in an academic respect, it was no longer filled with torment and torture fueled by pure frustration.

"Well, listen…" Yuno said with a hint of hesitation in her words. "Papa is coming home today and… I'm sure that he would love to do something as a family again. Perhaps we can go out to eat or visit a shopping center."

Her mother cocked her head slightly, rolling her eyes to the side of the room to look towards the light that shone through the windows. She blinked once again and then allowed her pupils to sluggishly make their way back to her child. "I guess that would be nice… We are a family after all."

"Right! We are." Bubbled Yuno. "And we're going to do our best to be happy now, aren't we?"

Saika did not understand where her sudden positivity came from, but she did not wish to strike Yuno's happiness down. Her slightly parted lips curved into a small smile. One that Yuno was not able to decipher as real or fake.

"Yes. We're healing." She confirmed.

Well, that was one way to put it. Yuno was not able to feel disappointed over a statement like that since it was true. The Gasai family was not close to perfect, the rift that they have will not be fixed like it would be in a fairy tale. No, it was going to take time. Just like everything else.

There was nothing left to say to her mother at that point, and Yuno knew that very well. Any conversation past that point would end with her mother mumbling an inaudible answer or ignoring her altogether. So, she breathed her final sentence to her mother for what she thought would be until her father came home. "I'm glad…"

And with that, the girl gave her mother a gentle wave and turned on her heel. Yuno carefully stepped down the hallway, and thudded down a small section of steps to arrive at her room once again. She planned to lay down, not before neatly hanging her bag in her closet. Nonchalantly, she shuffled across her room, which bore a comfortable red rug. Her bed was huge, to say the least. Behind it stood a big window that she could peek out of at any time to catch a glimpse at her family's beautiful garden. A collection of stuffed animals were set up to the side of her bed, and she secretly enjoyed having them close to her whenever she slept. In front of her lay a huge bookcase, filled to the brim with many texts that she enjoyed reading on her free time. To wrap up the warm feeling of her room, a picture of her and her parents was perched in the middle of the bookcase. With a small thud, Yuno landed on her bed and buried her face deep into a pillow. She was already prepared to go to sleep, even though it was not even past noon.

It did not take long for her stiff body to loosen up, and for her to drift off into a seemingly nice nap.

* * *

_(12:56, ?)_

* * *

It was happening again. Of course it was. At this point it did not shock Yuno in the slightest. She was falling, falling even faster than before. There was one major difference though. Instead of falling down, it was as if all of the rules that were set in her previous nightmare were _reversed_. In reality, she was floating up at an alarming speed. Instead of a white light at the end, a threatening purple glow awaited her at the end. There was no change in direction, her destination was set. Unlike last time, she did not panic. This was just a nightmare, nothing more. It would be foolish of her to work herself up once again.

That feeling of bravery was going to be tested very soon.

* * *

It all happened in the blink of an eye: Yuno was floating up, and before she knew it she was whisked into a fantastic hallway. It bore a mysterious purple glow and massive breathtaking structures. Although she now existed in such a strange place, Yuno was still greeted to the comfort of her own bed. It was smack in the middle of the hall, facing the most baffling structure of them all. A crystallized throne towered above her bed, and it ferociously presented the sharp edges at the tip of the seat. The crystals reflected an almost otherworldly light off of them.

But the throne was empty, covered in the impressive gems, and seemingly… Breaking apart, perhaps? This caused the hall that she stood in to appear very empty and even more unsettling than it already was. It did not take long for the scene before her to change completely, though.

"Hello there, newcomer!" A shrill voice bubbled, not from behind her or in front of her, but above. Yuno's gaze darted upwards and she was greeted to a small boy who she had never met. He wore a green hat that covered his long, fluffy orange hair. His green eyes were not threatening in the slightest. No, they were welcoming and friendly, as if he was ready to give her a big hug. On his cheeks was a small pink blush, which seemed to compliment the two puppets that he wore over his hands. She was not surprised to have one of them shoved towards her face in the slightest.

"Say, what's your name?" He demanded, impersonating the male doll that filled Yuno's view. Gently, she pushed his hand away and came back with, "I should be asking you that… And what are you?"

The creature cocked his head slightly, letting out a tiny hum while he thought up a funny answer. "I'm the monster under your bed! OoOoOoOo…!" Said the sinister creature, backing away from her to wave his puppet's hands around to further his claim. It was followed by a shrill laugh.

Yuno, though intrigued, was not impressed at all. "Okay… What about your name, oh so scary 'monster'?" Her voice had an edge of sarcasm that was easily discernible.

"Oh, you should've said so!" Chimed he, gifting her with a reassuring grin. "My name is Reisuke! You can call me Rei for short, but you gotta' promise me that we'll become friends if you do."

The girl blinked once, and then again. What a wild ride this dream was. Her imagination conjured up a small boy-imp creature who wanted to be her friend. Yuno had an extremely difficult time convincing herself to accept the fake boy's offer.

"Hmm… You have a deal, Rei. I'm Yuno." Yuno acknowledged the feeling of truth in his words. The little boy practically did a little dance in the air, he was overflowing with cheerfulness. Unfortunately, it did not take long for Yuno to challenge their newfound friendship.

"But, since we're friends and all now... Do you mind answering a few questions?" Requested Yuno, still keeping a subtle smile to make herself appear less forceful.

His soft green eyes drifted from one side of the hall to the other, before he flicked his little tail and told her, "I guess so! I'll answer whatever I can."

Yuno lingered on the thought for a moment, what would be a fitting thing to ask right off the bat? Asking about where they are would be too sudden, so she decided to ask him something to lighten up the mood. "Why do you carry around those puppets? They look pretty cool…"

"Ooh, good question!" Reisuke praised the girl with a toothy grin. "I made these myself! They have no real names, but they help me sort out some of my thoughts. Just for kicks, you know? Plus, they're really cute, amiright?"

She gave him a small "mmhm" in return, and then had the deep desire to pry at what she was dreaming about. "Alright, where are we?"

Surprisingly, Reisuke answered almost instantly. "This is the Hall of Causality, welcome!" He then covered his mouth and let out a muffled giggle behind his puppets. "I'm sorry, I got too excited. We don't get newcomers very often, y'know?"

"I see. Is this some sort of uh…" Yuno wanted to come up with something as crazy as this dream as a follow up. "Some sort of 'alternate-dimension'?"

The boy wore a baffled look on his face, and seemed to be at a loss of words. His lips slowly moved, wording out a response. Finally, he made a sentence. "Erm… I don't really know where this is located or what it is. All I know is the name and what it's like here."

Clearly, her mind did not come this far. It was so complex that she managed to bewilder her own creation. Yuno, although there was a delay, nodded and spoke, "Still a little confusing, but okay…"

Reisuke tapped his foot on the nonexistent ground below him and also tapped his puppets together in the same rhythm. There was a small spell of stillness and then it was broken suddenly by the little creature. "Ooh! I know someone who might be helpful. He knows EVERYTHING!" And with that, he made haste towards the crystalized sphere that towered over Yuno's bed. "Believe me, he answered every question I have. Even the answer to life." To that, he put his female puppet's stubby hand over his lips, telling Yuno to be quiet. She did not plan to talk past her questions in the first place, so she silently watched the boy go through with his plan.

Carefully, he tapped his puppet on the throne. He must have been trying to… Knock? It was as clear as day that he was once he muttered something. It did not take very long for him to grow impatient and in result raise his voice. "Ey', wake up you old man! We have a visitor here!"

There was not even a small thud from the other side of the crystal wall, and this annoyed Reisuke beyond belief. At last, he yelled the brutal reality of this entire situation. "If she was even ABLE to get here in the first place, then that means you called her here for an audience! It's rude to keep her hanging, so wake up already!"

And with that, the crystals almost instantaneously fell to the sides of the throne, as if some mighty power pulled them down. What Yuno saw next was something that took her breath away. The… Creature, if you could call it that, who sat in front of Yuno looked so insane that it was hard to put into words. It had a broken down, old face with very sharp teeth that made it look like a shark. It had long, messy gray hair above its "head", and it wore a shiny golden crown atop its mess of hair. Its sharp gaze shot to Yuno, and it let out a loud hiss of a breath.

"There we go!" Reisuke exclaimed. "Yuno, meet Deus!" He sensed the bubbling fear within the girl, and slowly floated towards her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Hey, he looks scary. But he's just silly ol' Mr. Time and Space. Nothing but a gentle old guy who wants the best for his world."

Yuno decided to quiz his statement. "Are you sure? He looks pretty um… Scary, to put it bluntly."

"As sure as can be!" Confirmed the creature with a smirk. "Now go on, talk to him. He wanted to see you." And with that, he gently hit her on the shoulder and floated upwards.

But Yuno was still far too nervous to utter a word. The situation was growing much more awkward than it needed to be, and finally, when it became overwhelming Yuno opened her mouth.

"Hello. I'm Yuno. Nice to meet you, Deus…" She made her greeting very simple.

He let out a small "hmm…" and squinted his eyes a little. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Mumbled he.

Of course, she blanked out on everything that she meant to ask before. She was facing the apparent god of time and space! Either that or she was having one hell of a dream. The more likely candidate out of the two was the assumption that this was all part of some absurd dream. That idea gave her the little push she needed to continue.

"I was asking Rei something earlier, and he did not know how to answer… I wanted to ask you, is that okay?"

"I assume so. Please speak slowly though, I have not fully awoken yet." Warned Deus. Giving that warning seemed to support Reisuke's description of the god, though. It may have been a seemingly harsh stereotype, but the creature that loomed before Yuno highly resembled that of an amiable old man.

Yuno nodded slightly and pushed on, "Is this some sort of alternate dimension?"

"In a way." uttered Deus. "This hall serves as my home as this world's god, take that as you will. In order to get here, you must be summoned by someone who often visits."

The reaction that Yuno has was almost instantaneous. Her soft lips curled downwards as she shakily asked, "but who invited me here?"

The god lingered on the thought for a moment, allowing his old eyes to drift towards the front of the hall. Small screens seemed to open out of thin air, and he began to tap his sharp claws at them rapidly. "Hmm… I cannot recall who that 'someone' would be."

Great. Just great. He was so set on the little devices in front of him that he could not remember who wanted her here in the first place, and he was the one who introduced the concept to her! Not wanting to cause any more ruckus, Yuno decided that it was best to put the topic at rest. She beckoned Reisuke to come towards her once the conversation was at its end, which he did promptly.

"What is it, friendo?" Reisuke tilted his head slightly, allowing his vivid orange hair to spill over his lively green eyes.

In a sharp yet non-threatening tone, Yuno asked "How do I wake up?" Surprisingly, she was met with the little creature giving her an expressive pout. Was it that he possibly did not want her to leave yet? She had no point to stick around any longer… This dream was becoming far too realistic for her tastes.

"I-I'm… Not really sure how to get back." Admitted Reisuke, who gently rubbed his smooth chin with his pointer finger and thumb. He let out a nervous, "hh" and followed it with, "I might know one way, actually. But I have no idea how it works." It was evident that Yuno was interested in his words though, shown by her raising her eyebrow at him. Reisuke scanned her facial expression and could make out that she wanted to know despite the fact that the idea was strange. Slowly, he took in a breath.

"Here. Try this." He said as he motioned her to scoot further back onto her bed. He grabbed one end of her long, fluffy blanket in one hand and wrapped it around her body- and when he reached the end he simply threw the end up onto her face. By the look on her visage she was not buying whatever he was doing, but ultimately decided to stay there anyways.

"It's kinda strange since y'know… This place is like a fantasy-land! But you'll be able to get home if you go back to sleep. At least, I think that it works like that." The small creature explained with a smile plastered across his lips

Yuno eyed him for a moment, and then she let a quiet chuckle make its way past her own lips. Reisuke sort of acted like… A very young child, maybe six, seven, or even five. His spirit was the embodiment of what Yuno wished to have as a child. Carefree, fond of their "parent figures", and treated to a life full of friends. Even after so much time passed and Yuno's life managed to take a full three sixty, she did not meet every attribute that this boy had. In a light voice, Yuno cooed "You're a nice kid, from what I've seen so far." It was as if the sadness that she had from her childhood was talking, but she did not mind. Whether this was a dream or not, it still made her feel something- therefore in a way it could be considered real. This is the thought process that took over her mind enough to make her change her opinion so quickly. Perhaps this dream is not that bad. Though, she still believed that the entire situation was peculiar.

In response to her kind-hearted compliment, Reisuke's tail flicked with joy as he chirped, "I know, right? I'm a real elitist too, aren't I?" He noticed his sudden outburst and simpered. "Tch. You don't even have to say it, I am!"

Yuno rolled her eyes, and covered her face with her blanket in a way that her eyes were the only things that stuck out. "I'm not admitting anything."

It did not take long to notice that she was already starting to become playful with him. Her pupils drifted downwards as she let out a small sigh. Seriously, was she so desperate to make up for her childhood that she was okay with becoming close to a being from a dream that would never occur again?

It was as if he read her mind through her mostly covered expression, because Reisuke floated downwards and sat on her lap, giving her a small giggle. Of course, her first reaction was to push him off- which caused him to gently tumble over onto the bed. That was yet another game to him though, and in reaction he flicked his tail and showed his puppets to Yuno once more. "Hey! We want you to come back, okay?" Reisuke spoke in the male's voice, moving its stubby little hands around wildly to further his request. He then followed it up by making the female push the other out of the way, saying, "yeah! That would make Rei very happy, so you gotta' do it!"

Yuno blinked one time, and then twice. Then, she let the blanket fall off of her face to reveal her trembling lips. Quakily, she mumbled "yes, sure…" But in reality she believe that this would never happen again, nor would she remember much of it when she woke up. Yuno promptly flopped over onto her bed, causing her vivid pink hair to spread all over the mattress. Her beautiful eyes looked up at Reisuke, and then Deus. Calmly, she put her hand up to give them both a small wave, not that Deus was paying any mind to her. Of course, Reisuke saw her gesture and did not hesitate to wave back with his two puppets in hand.

"Come back soon, y'hear?" Ordered Reisuke in a joking yet cheerful tone. With a small smirk, she closed her eyes and nodded.

…

What did she learn from this dream? Absolutely nothing. In fact, the lack of information that she received from the god and her new "friend" alike made her feel like her mind had no idea how to go about what it had created. If they were truly real, they would have been able to tell her every small detail, or so she thought. Instead, she was left floating away from the blurry purple light

Further and further, until she could see nothing but pitch black. This gave her time to assure herself that they existed in a way. As she thought, they appeared in her mind. Although her mind conjured it herself, that could indeed make them "real" to her. At last, her vision was engulfed in a bright light, and her eyelids fluttered open and got used to the room around her.

* * *

_(2:53, Yuno's room)_

* * *

Yuno's first instinct after she awoke was to stay where she was. Frankly, after such a deep dream she expected her body to feel extremely achy and sluggish. Against what she thought, she was able to shift over in bed without any pain, which caused her to raise an eyebrow. Then, her realization caught up quickly, Yuno remembered that dream world after all! She had no trouble recalling the details- Reisuke, Deus, the Hall of Causality… It was as if she just saw them! She shook her head, and turned over onto her stomach to stuff her face into her smooth pillow. It was true, she did have a little bit of fun talking to Reisuke. Even in the little amount of time that she got to know the kid, he managed to remind her of everything that she wanted out of her life but did not receive. She wanted to know more about him despite the fact that they had never talked in the past and didn't get much time to just now. Realistically though, that would never happen.

Saddened by the fantasy world that life had just given her and taken away in a short amount of time, Yuno sat up and slid the curtains by her bed to the side. Her sparkly pink pupils were met with the sight of her family's flourishing garden; complete with tomatoes, apples, and many other goodies that her mother picked sometimes to use. Above the Gasai family's garden was their old-fashioned fence, which reminded Yuno about her lifestyle. Yes, clearly she did not have the kind of life that would give her a very carefree childhood like Reisuke's, what a shame. Lastly, she was met to the beautiful night sky that was all wrapped together by the breathtaking full moon. There was not a cloud in sight, and the stars shone brightly around it, giving the sky a brilliant dark blue glow to it. The glittering stars and the moon that showed off every part of what it was made the girl realize something; Nothing was hidden from the world tonight. Despite that fact, it still managed to be beyond beautiful.

Grinning at the view that she was gifted, Yuno scrambled to find her phone in the dark. When she found it, she flipped it open and directed it up towards the moon. The dazzling scene was far too much to pass up- so she snapped a picture of it to remember it later. She had no idea why she cared about it tonight, perhaps it was the all of the reminders that she was given that she was different from others. The dream that she had in the morning: the recollection of her past, the poor children who were scurrying into the school with deep feelings of fear, her friends questioning her diary, and the newly introduced Hall of Causality… She knew very well that she was different from the others, but that did not bother her, because no matter what she swore to continue to show who she is just like the moon was tonight. This new picture would serve as a reminder of the unexpectedly strange day that she experienced.

Finally, it was time to bid the day goodbye. It already passed, but Yuno decided that it was best to stop lingering on the same thoughts. She laid her phone on the nightstand beside her and snuggled into her pillow once again, getting into a comfortable position to sleep. She felt completely at peace as she slowly began to fall into a nice slumber once again.

Everything was okay and nothing out of the ordinary happened today, she insisted to herself.

**But little did she know that this new day is the start of something new. From now on, her everyday life will slowly become displaced...**

* * *

_"Mirai Nikki", also known as "The Future Diary" was written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. None of the characters in this fanfiction belong to me, obviously. They are simply altered to change up the story._


	4. Enter the Observer

A little over a month had passed, it was now early May. Spring was in full force and summer was practically knocking on Sakurami City's door. Our beloved pink haired girl, Yuno, was embracing these changes in weather since they also brought a change in attitude. Not just hers, but everyone around her. Everyone was looking forward to a nice two-week break when summer finally arrived! Especially Yuno, she knew exactly how she planned to spend it. Of course, she wished to spare some of her time with her friends and family, but there was something that she needed to check on at every moment she could get.

And that daily checkup was about to occur! Yet another day of school was at its end and Yuno, after she waved goodbye to her friends, practically sprinted home to meet her real best friend. She arrived home, slipped her shoes off and left them by the door in a sloppy manner, and thudded up the stairs without a single "hello" to her sleepy mother. With her room's door shut tight, Yuno fell back onto her bed and wrapped herself up tightly with her fluffy blanket. Sealing her eyes shut, the girl uttered a mysterious name that had a deeper, magical meaning to it.

**"Deus."**

* * *

And with those words came the sudden change of the interior of her room along with a loud wind-like noise- quite a neat transition if she did say so herself. The familiar purple hall that she once feared had taken its place in her room, and instead of being terrified like she previously would she appeared to be extremely excited. Almost as quickly as her room transformed, Yuno was met with a small boy practically glomping her the moment that his lively green eyes spotted her.

"Big sister!" He cried, hugging her figure as strongly as he could as if she was going to disappear the moment that he let go. Yuno stood up and spun around on her heel playfully, which resulted in the two laughing in unison.

Yuno managed to greet her true best friend in between her aimless giggles, "Hello Rei-Rei!"

The creature let go of her and promptly thrust a puppet into her sight, making it wiggle its little arms wildly in an attempt to convey the fact that he was greeting her back. Just a month ago, Yuno would believe that he was crazy for doing this to her, but now she looked it at it as a sign that he wished to play a game. "Hello, Ms!" She exclaimed as she reached out and pet his female puppet's head, essentially going along with his act.

This entire situation seems extremely sudden and confusing, I'm sure. But Yuno knew how it came to be very well. It's simple, but it may baffle the minds of others. You see, she believed that the Hall of Causality in itself was a dream. In fact, she still struggled to call any of it "real", perse. But with that belief in mind, Yuno tried very hard to manipulate the facts that were given to her in this base dream. After various attempts, she believed that she finally rewrote the story between her and Reisuke. According to her, Reisuke and Yuno shared a friendship that did not last a month, but years. It was her wish to have a friend like him; one who reminded her of what she wanted out of her life when she was a child. And perhaps, with him around, she could satisfy that wish. It is a strange concept, truly. But dreams are dreams- they are something that a human mind conjures up on its own and they often make no sense. They are also bound to be changed if one is determined enough.

"Yunocchi!" Screeched the masculine puppet as it threw its arms around Yuno's thin shoulder. In response, the girl took that puppet and the other in her hands and put them on Reisuke's soft cheeks, squishing them and making his face look very funny. These were the kinds of childish games that the little imp seemed to enjoy. While Yuno did not mind going along with them, as shown by the lack of hesitation that she had to act back, a small part of her felt guilty. In her eyes, she ultimately forged a fake friendship. He did not seem to remember a thing when she "changed" his memory. Instead, he knew Yuno as a very kind girl who he is very fond of. In fact, he felt so comfortable around her that he kept prompting her to visit him as much as she can, which soon evolved in a daily request for a visit. As far as Yuno could tell, their incorrect friendship was flourishing. It may be fake, but she still considered Reisuke to be a real friend of hers; even despite the immense guilt that she felt well up in her chest whenever she made eye contact with him.

Rather than worrying about that though, Yuno decided to react to her friend's squished face with an adorable laugh. Reisuke's gaze flashed left and then right, and then he completed the look by sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes. At that moment, Yuno let go of him and turned her head to giggle to herself. God, he was just like a child. There was no difference between him and a five year old. It really was like she had a younger brother, and quite frankly she enjoyed the feeling.

At last, the two ceased their playing and sat on opposite sides of Yuno's bed. Reisuke, who was still interrupted by a few chuckles here and there, finally managed to spurt, "so how are you doing today, big sister?"

Yuno let out a gentle hum as she tried to come up with an answer that would satisfy his requirements. It did not take very long for her to answer with, "yet another busy day in school, you know? A few projects here, a few assessments there…" She paused for a moment, thinking about what else would be best to add to her response. "We're starting to near our summer break. It may only be like two weeks, but… Thinking about being off of school for a while makes me feel sort of comfortable. Life can be pretty nice sometimes." She explained her entire thought process without once losing her smile. Actually, it did not even waver- she really did feel stupidly happy.

Reisuke's little devil-like tail flicked as his green spheres scanned over Yuno. He appeared to be giving Yuno a skeptical look- one that made Yuno raise her eyebrow in response. With an edge of sassiness in her tone, she challenged him. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

The little creature blinked once, and then again. His distant expression faded and was replaced by his everyday outgoing one. "Aha! I'm sorry about that big sister! I was just thinking about something."

Yuno cocked her head to the left, letting her pink hair poke at the back of her knees. "Thinking about what?" Inquired she. The way that Reisuke's responded was not very unexpected, he let out a shrill laugh and threw himself upwards, spinning around in the air and over-extending his arms as if he planned to give the entire world a massive hug. "Thinking that YOU should talk to Deus a little bit more! You don't ever give the poor guy any attention!"

He was met with a clearly confused look on his friend's visage. For one, his claim was quite sudden so Yuno did not know the best way to go about replying. Two, it was not exactly her fault that she never spoke to the old man… He was often off in his own little world, tip-tapping at his otherworldly keyboard. It always seemed like he did not fancy the thought of becoming Yuno's "friend", perse. Of course, if he did not want to spare as much as a word to her, she did not plan to attempt to befriend him past that. In the end, Yuno's thought process brought her to say, "why should I bother? He doesn't even talk that much."

Reisuke practically flung himself onto Yuno instantaneously. The shocked girl fell back, nearly tripping over her feet and slamming her head into the hard floor below. Before she got to demand him what the big idea was, he once again pushed his puppets into her face as he confidently insisted, "That's where you're wrong! He's just very busy, y'see?"

"How so?" Yuno dared, putting a little force onto the little creature to push him away from her face. "He always sits there… Day and night- no matter when I visit. He has not stood up from that throne once."

Her words earned her an additional giggle from Reisuke. "You don't understand! Managing the world is some serious business. Simply keeping the world in balance is enough to make him extremely tired." He then hovered above Yuno, circling around her before he leaned back in the air and flicked his little tail sharp-ended once more. "And how about this? I'll give you a bit of insider info that may interest you."

At that moment, Yuno's mind kind of felt fuzzy. It may have been her severe lack of interest or perhaps something else. Because, all that she remembered was Reisuke coming closer to her, nudging her on the shoulder and whispering "he's working on a huge project."

Immediately after uttered those words, Reisuke shot back and grinned wide- his little pink cheeks complimenting his innocent appearance. "Are ya' interested?"

Yuno's pink eyes fluttered as she tried to recall what he said clearly, it was similar to one of those moments where you know that you heard something but swear that you could not remember what it was. Maybe it was exhaustion? Or, considering just how strange the hall that she stood before was, it was something more.

Out of instinct, Yuno rubbed her eyelids gently and let out a hiss of a sigh. Slowly, she took another breath in and muttered "no, it's fine. Let's just keep it at that." It was evident that Reisuke wished to stay on the topic, but it seemed like that was not the best way to go. After all, Yuno seemed to be pretty pressured over it. "Okay…" He muttered, giving his eyes permission to roll to the side. "Well, hey!" Out of nowhere, the imp snapped out of his unusual trance. "We don't have to worry about that. How about we spend some time playing like usual?"

Ah, playing games together. That was a common thing that the two did; it often included bringing out her own puppets and role-playing with Reisuke's. Although Yuno sometimes grows annoyed when he spurt confusing stuff like he did just now with Deus, which is fairly common, she still enjoyed every other moment that she spent here. That was made clear, though. There is much more that her grandiose experiences bring about, as proven by the creation of Yuno's own puppets. Reisuke has managed to create something for her past her daily school and home life. He opened up a vast realm of creativity for her. Arts and crafts were now one of her favorite pastimes when she sat in her room. In the past, she would often dig into a good book. Was this another change brought about by little Reisuke? Why yes, it was.

Yuno found herself eagerly nodding at his offer. Her soft hand drifted to her pajama pants, down to the pocket that it had on the side. To Reisuke's surprise, Yuno revealed that she had two doll-sized outfits! One outfit felt as if it bore a pure light- it was white, frilly and drizzled in breathtaking glitter. On the other hand, the second outfit flaunted a mysterious feeling that left Reisuke wondering what it was meant to be. Its somewhat casual appearance was indisputable for sure, but… Something about it essentially lashed out at the viewer. Perhaps it was the fact that the shirt itself was slightly tattered and there were clear markings on it as if it was used. All of these thoughts were compressed into one small set of clothes that were meant for a doll or in this case, a puppet.

Despite the sense of interest that Reisuke felt swell up in his mind, he did not point it out. Instead, he decided that it was best to carry on with their playtime. That was the reasonable way to go about things anyway, they have spent countless hours playing with the same puppets. Either way, they proceeded to start their regular session. Over and over, time and time again. Reisuke never seemed to grow bored of the repetition of their games, while Yuno was not very sure if it was starting to pick at her. Regardless of that dull feeling, she continued, and they played the hours away.

It took quite a bit to tire Reisuke out, and it was very easy for Yuno to identify his boredom. The moment his green eyes began to droop, the girl knew what it meant. It meant that their time together for the day was coming to a close at last.

"Ready to pack it up for today?" Yuno questioned with a sweet chuckle.

The orange haired imp planned to nod enthusiastically, and that was apparent by the gentle flip of his tail and his growing grin, but of course that did not happen. The idea that he had in mind was cut off by roaring laughter that came out of the blue, and that laughter caused the duo to look upwards towards the source. The god of time and space that was previously viewed as a being who would never find a trained comedian to be a card was indeed showing off a toothy smile.

Reisuke raised an eyebrow at this and floated upwards to look over his boney shoulder. "What's up with him?" He started, but his voice was instantly caught in his throat and a small lump ceased any further words. Yuno was not sure how to feel when she saw his little pointed tail droop, it was always so full of life, twitching this way and turning the other direction. Out of the pressure that she felt from a growing feeling of uncertainty, the girl gulped and then questioned him. "What is it? Is something the matter?" She queried.

The little creature virtually tossed himself at her and crawled onto her shoulder- shifting his body weight onto her head. Of course, the girl did not know what was going on and his sudden movement caused her to lose her balance a bit and tumble back onto her bed. A little bit bothered by his actions, Yuno sat back up and fixed her hair while inquiring, "what was that for?"

Hesitantly, the creature clicked his tongue a bit before he stuttered through his next words. "H-Hey! We should go to your house." Insisted Reisuke as he scrambled to his knees on her bed. The way the words flowed out of his mouth almost made them seem like a plea. Something was bothering him and that was for sure. It was strange though- he never dared to leave the Cathedral of Causality before. Yuno furrowed her brows as she tried to come up with the proper words to say. Clearly, she could not deny her friend, after all, the nervous look that he flashed her said it all. He wanted to get out. Acting in the heat of the moment, Yuno gently nodded and responded with a small "okay" From there, the girl wrapped her arms around Reisuke for the sole purpose of covering him with her soft blanket. That was her form of transportation between this world and her own, but Reisuke did not particularly need it to make it back. Either way, he played along with her means of returning home and before they knew it they were both gone from the cathedral- away from Deus.

* * *

Yuno's eyes fluttered open as she scanned her surroundings. Yes, her bed was back in place and all seemed to be well. Sighing, she went to stand up from her bed to check on her mother or something along those lines, anything to pass time. But she felt something as soon as she put her foot on the ground, and with barely any observation it was obvious that it was not her carpet. It was a body- the dazed body of Reisuke! Yuno shot back onto her bed, completely shocked that the little creature actually visited her world. This solidified so many things for her- nothing was a dream. Gently, she leaned down from her bed and poked Reisuke's cheek, causing him to stir and wake up. His green eyes lit up when he saw Yuno. "Hey, look at that! I actually have the power to cross over here, neat!", he excitedly declared. The girl's hand quickly covered Reisuke's mouth, shushing him. "Mama has no idea that you're here right now, much less knows who you are." To this, Reisuke squinted his eyes and flicked his tail. He wanted nothing more than to talk and express how happy he was but he could not.

Averting her eyes to the window, Yuno found herself asking a question without thinking. "Rei." Began she, turning back to look at him while staying where she was on her bed. "Why did you want to come here? You never asked before." Simply put, Reisuke shrugged off her question. That reaction was not very surprising considering how childish he was at times, Reisuke most likely did not want to deal with such a serious topic. Though, it was as if he was avoiding the truth. Yuno did not want to call him out on it. Her thoughts continued to linger on what happened before they left whilst Reisuke made his rounds about Yuno's room, snickering at some of the things that she had on display. He seemed to pause at the sight of a picture frame that held the picture of Yuno and her adoptive parents.

She caught the creature looking at it and proceeded to say, "so you noticed that hm? That's my Mama and Papa that I often spoke about. They're pretty nice folks if you get to know them." Deep down, Yuno knew very well that the words that she uttered were not completely honest. Her father was a great person in her eyes but her mother was someone who she always struggled to forgive. It had to do with the pain that she inflicted on poor Yuno, but that is justified. Reisuke grinned at Yuno, spinning on his heel and spurting one sentence that caught her completely off guard. "Your mom looks pretty scary!", he cooed as if there was no weight to his words. Yuno's eyes widened a bit and then she blinked them, quickly answering with, "no, no. She's okay." But Reisuke was able to detect the white lie that she just muttered, shown by the goofy grin staying put on his rounded face.

The boy let out a soft click as he dashed over to Yuno's bed, leaping on it and landing with a thud. Once again, Yuno tried to signal for him to be quiet but he was simply too hyper. He looked at her, his lit up eyes looking right through her. Reisuke knew what she wanted, she wanted an answer to her question. Hitting his chest jokingly, Reisuke proudly swayed his tail side to side and giggled. "Very well! I'll spill the truth to you now." Started he, closing his eyes as if he was about to give an earth-shattering answer. In reality, it was nothing but something to soothe Yuno's pounding curiosity. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but then something peculiar happened.

Yuno saw it. There was movement from outside of her home- she detected it from the corner of her eye. Reisuke's tail lost all of its life once more as his proud composure slowly drained out of him. He shook his head, trying to recollect himself. "On second thought…" He continued, hopping off of the bed. "I'll tell you why later. Right now isn't a very good time to spill the beans."

To this, Yuno raised an eyebrow. Of course, she was not dumb and knew that this had to do with whatever was outside. Wondering what it was, Yuno calmly turned to the window and observed the ground beneath her room. Strange, nobody was there. Her neighborhood was a quiet one- anyone walking by was bizarre, to begin with. The majority of people who reside in Sakurami City often forget that Yuno's neighborhood exists, in fact. While she watched for any more movement the girl failed to realize that her room was overcome with a sudden silence.

_When she turned back to look at her friend, he was nowhere to be found…_

* * *

_(1:42, Sakurami Middle School)_

* * *

Unlike before, Sakurami Middle School was practically bursting with joy and excitement. Orphans no longer sat at the tables in the cafeteria and the outside was no longer overrun by panicked teachers. No, it was quite normal now. Students hung out with their peers as always. The buzz now was no longer what was happening to their school or the tragedies that kept hitting their beloved city, instead they talked about the upcoming two-week break. A lot of plans were thrown around here and there- some people planned to leave the city for a bit and lounge on a beach since summer was right around the corner. Some wanted to spend time with their family rather than being with their friends. As for Yuno, who was sitting at her desk while humming, she had other plans that proved to be quite different from the general public.

She wanted to learn more about the other world- that was nothing new of course, the Cathedral of Causality was a strange place. But still, the idea that it existed within her normal world continued to baffle her. Though her discovery from a while ago appeared to cut into her social life, that was not exactly true. Yuno still chatted with her friends during school and used her mother as an excuse to get out of going to events- to go home. Her attempts to get away from things that others wanted to do with her were not completely dishonest. They did not fall far from the truth.

Things were looking up for the girl, truly. Yuno was no longer threatened by the looming idea of otherworldly creatures existing like she was in the past. Her relationship with her friends was thriving and her life at home was still continuously loosening up. Sitting in her last class, Yuno finished up her homework and began to doodle a few things of her best friend.

"Ooh, who's that?" One of Yuno's friends questioned as they looked over her shoulder. Yuno, who tended to feel quite self conscious at times, instinctively covered up what she was creating. But then she realized that it was not that bad, after all, he looked like a fictional character. So that is the story that Yuno decided to go with.

Giving her friend a smirk, Yuno pretended to be pleased with her creation and replied, "this is Reisuke. He's just a character that I made, y'know? Something that I can draw when I'm bored." Her pink eyes looked over the drawing as more ideas began to enter her head. "Perhaps sculpt, or other crafty things. Ever since I came up with him I've been diving deep into arts and crafts." And that was true, Yuno realized that she enjoyed art very much when she met Reisuke. Putting together puppets, drawing together… He really brought a lot out of her just like a little brother would do for their sister.

In response to her answer, Yuno's friend giggled and complimented her. "That's very cute! I wish that I was creative and talented enough to do something like that… Seems far more fun than writing." To that, Yuno looked up and shook her head. "Every interest is fun if you get into it enough. You only consider it dull until you find something that truly interests you."

And at that moment, Yuno felt a sudden weight on her shoulders. She blinked twice with somewhat wide eyes and then shook it off. It seemed like her friend did not catch her sudden change in composure due to the meaningful words that Yuno just uttered. From there, Yuno asked the girl if she could allow her to finish her drawing, doing her best to avoid sounding too mean or impulsive. Yes, she said that she was going to finish her little doodle page but in reality, she was too distracted to focus on doing as such. What was that feeling that she just had? And why did she have it more than once in the past?

It seemed to be a reoccurring theme at this point. The first instance of it ever happening was on the very day that she met Reisuke. She was simply heading home after she finished up at the cafe with her friends and that is when the feeling gripped at her heart and made her feel like she was in danger. It felt like someone was walking behind her watching her every step, yet when she decided to shoot a glance backwards there was nobody there. Not even a hint.

And then yesterday… Her best friend upped and left the moment that Yuno felt that same feeling of dread. There was movement outside of her window but it was so subtle that it almost looked like it was just a branch from a tree falling or something like that. It confused Yuno and despite the amount of thought that she sacrifices to the topic, she has not been able to find any answers. But now… It's happening again. That meant that whatever was outside was causing it, right? The idea that the solution to this problem was outside of her classroom somewhere began to get to Yuno. Her thoughts raced as she found her body involuntarily packing up for the day, even if her class had quite a bit of time left in the period. Out of nowhere, Yuno looked towards her teacher and raised her hand. "May I step out for a moment? I need to get something from my locker…" She asked. Due to her amazing reputation amongst students and teachers alike, the teacher nodded without any questions. How convenient- her popularity came in handy for once.

Stepping out into the hallway, Yuno looked left and then right to see if there were any figures nearby. The hall itself happened to resemble a ghost town, after all, everyone was currently in class. Great, there was no signs of anyone once again. If this were any other time, Yuno would have shrugged it off and called herself paranoid but… There was something about this time that made Yuno feel a burning sense of motivation in her chest. This fueled her enough to keep walking- and she found herself pushing herself further into the hallway. She went further and further until she had to turn the corner, and at that moment she did it felt as if time had slowed down for a moment. There, in the corner of her eye, was that same fuzzy movement from her house. Whoever it was, they planned to go downstairs. It seemed as if they were not aware of what was coming- Yuno gritted her teeth and her slow skip broke out into a full out jog as she flew over to the stairs. She did not want to speak to get their attention, all that she wanted to do was catch a glimpse of who they were.

* * *

Yuno raced down the stairs, pivoting swiftly at the bottom to turn the corner. The person that she was racing towards had broken into a run of his own. He seemed to be slower than the girl so this confrontation was looking good. While Yuno started to inch closer and closer to the person before her, she gently called out, "I'm not angry if this was all you, I swear! I just want to talk to you…" The figure ahead of her kept up their escape until those words reached their ears. They then began to slow down, enough for Yuno to catch up and grab their bony shoulder. Upon further inspection, the girl noticed who was behind all of this. Her breath hitched as she gently cocked her head, "A-Ama-..."

At that moment, the boy turned his head and looked at her with an unsettling smile. It screamed disturbed and insane, enough to make Yuno want to backpedal and head up to her class once more. The eyes that this person bore were wide and glassy, and yet they managed to appear very distant from reality. His hair was black and messy as if he skipped out on brushing it for today. He was void of his usual hat and jacket that Yuno knew him for- all of these differences are what added up to her not recognizing him when she was catching up during their mini chase. Looking at her as if nothing was odd about his appearance, the boy brushed up his hair with his hands and the smile that he once wore turned into a nervous frown. "A-Aw… If only I knew that I would get to talk to you today… I would have fancied up!"

* * *

Yukiteru Amano. Was he really the one who has been giving her trouble? But what about the instances outside of school? It could not be him, that was far too far fetched. He did have a poor reputation though, it was quite the opposite of her own. Many referred to him as a strange loner who had no friends with good reason. His self proclaimed role within the school was that of the observer- it goes as such: Yukki allegedly watches those around him and types everything that he does into the notes section of his phone. When his "role" was made known, many were outraged and demanded that he deleted every note that was written about them. Every single one. But Yukki, who was very terrified by the sudden outbursts from others, insisted that it was simply a social experiment and that there was no reason for others to get so worked up. From there, students began to slowly push him away from their cliques. They did not wish to have a "creep" standing near them. In their eyes it was giving him more of an opening to write about them. Despite all of this cruelty that was exerted towards the boy, Yukiteru took it all with an awkward smile and proceeded with his tiny experiment.

As for Yuno's thoughts on him… She always felt very bad for him. What he was doing was simply a pass time, it was like an ongoing school magazine. Perhaps it was a little out of place? But that did not bother Yuno. The girl sighed and forced a smile, gently speaking to the jumpy boy before her.

"Really, Amano-kun…" She began, shaking her head as if she was trying to make a point. "Why aren't you in class right now? Are you cutting?" To this, Yukiteru looked at her and shook his own head in return.

"No... I was heading to my locker." Insisted the boy, though it seemed like he was not as talented when it came to lying as Yuno was. His gaze was lowered and he was biting his lip as if he felt guilty about telling some sort of dishonest statement. Yuno chuckled, assuming that he was just trying to get away from what he did.

Gently, she reached for his shoulder and pushed it as a joke. "No need to lie about it. Just head back, alright? I'm the one who was supposed to be going to my locker." She spoke with complete honesty unlike him. It was a bit rude to assume that he came without any sort of reason, yes, but the look on his face said it all. As she began to walk away, Yukiteru reached out to her sluggishly and softly begged. "Please don't go yet…" He muttered with a strangely sad look pasted on his face. "We j-just started talking, I wanted to say something at least."

Yuno let out a small breath. He was not planning to confess, was he? Most people knew that she was not looking to date. "Look…" Yuno began, pulling her hand away while trying to stay as polite as possible. "We're supposed to be in class. You understand why I want to go back, right?"

Yukiteru nodded, but he still reached out to her as if he did not want to part ways. He really did not understand, did he? Yuno scanned her surroundings before she asked one last question that was clawing at her mind. Previously, she intended to ignore it. Ignoring it was for the best because her words may accidentally come out with a cold edge to them, and that was the last thing that she wanted to do to this nervous boy. Taking in a breath of air, Yuno prepared to ask about her final confusion in all of this.

"Amano-kun… Are you the one who has been following me around?" Uttered Yuno, who pulled her hand away from the boy. The words that left her lips were very out of place and abrupt, but it seemed to strike Yukiteru in the wrong way. His body went somewhat limp but his hand stayed where it was- reaching out to her. His eyes lost their lively shine and his shaky expression had loosened. This rubbed Yuno the wrong way- his visage had become far more unsettling than it was before. "A-Are you okay?" She questioned, rubbing the back of her head just to try to break the silence. "I'm sorry if I said something wrong…"

Yukiteru's body slowly began to tighten up as if he had just left reality and was just coming back to his body. His statue like body twitched, and then he closed his eyes. The moment that he opened them, Yuno was met with a dead look. The boy's usual blue pupils were faded out and his body was extremely tense. So much so that it looked as if any attempt to budge his body would end up unsuccessful. That was when Yuno finally decided to fall back, respectfully waving at him and saying, "I-I'm going to head back to class now. It was nice to talk to you!" And with that, she slowly started to tread back to her classroom. She left without looking back- in fact, Yuno had no desire to turn to look at him again whatsoever.

It was something about the sudden change in composure that he had; all of it made it seem like there was something wrong with him. While the girl denied to look back, thoughts raced through her mind, some of which contradicted what she was previously thinking. Nothing was wrong with him, right? The entries that he wrote in his diary were all simply a hobby and there was no need to overthink them. That is what Yuno tried to repeat in her mind over and over until she was stopped in her tracks by a sudden touch on her shoulder. Her body froze completely and she felt someone's warm breath against her neck. Slowly, Yukiteru poked his head over Yuno's shoulder and whispered something in her ear as she stood there, motionless. Fear kept her in her place.

_"I never thought that I would get to talk to you so soon... I don't intend to let you go that easily."_

Said the boy with a hiss of a whisper. His breath tickled her ear and made her entire body shiver. He was so close that his black hair mixed with her own and his grip on her did not loosen. Poor Yuno felt trapped as if a predator had just caught its prey- no escape was in sight. But just like any other animal would do in her situation, she tried her best to escape her fate. It all started with Yuno's initial idea to break away from the frightening boy. At first she tried to move his hand off with her own quickly but that failed to help the situation in the slightest. In result, Yuno jerked her entire body forward, throwing the boy off and sending her along the hallway fast enough to start her next rush. The last thing that she wanted to do was look behind her at this point, but there was no need to in the first place. Behind her was the loud sound of footsteps. That meant one thing, something that Yuno did not even want to consider as a possibility. Yukiteru was chasing after her now. Their roles had been reversed.

* * *

Panic began to grip at Yuno's heart as she ended up racing as quickly as she could out of Yukiteru's sight. Perhaps if she took an unexpected turn somewhere… Maybe he would leave her alone? At last, she looked back and saw the expression that he wore on his visage. It was as cold and distant as she thought it would be, but as soon as her eyes met his it was as if a button had been pressed. Life flooded back into his face and he carefully spoke to Yuno as they ran. "You don't have to run from me, I just wanted to tell you something!" He tried to explain, but Yuno did not allow his innocent words to pick at her. No, there was definitely something wrong with that boy, and if she let him catch up to her it would definitely prove to be no good. So she increased the pace of her run, scathingly responding with an "as if I would stop for you!" That was not a good move on Yuno's part- it could be compared to her throwing gasoline into a fire. Her bitter words caused Yukiteru to let out a breath and squint his eyes, and from there, his pace was increased greatly. The boost in speed could easily be considered extremely inconvenient for the girl. It did not take very long for him to practically be on her tail. Out of the pressure brought about by the moment, Yuno puffed out her cheeks and decided to take a new approach to this situation. Running in a linear direction would do nothing for her. Mustering as much courage as she could, Yuno forced her body to the right when a door was in sight.

That's right, Yuno upped and left the school completely. To hell with class and her perfect attendance, her life could very well be on the line due to this boy! Yukiteru was baffled by her sudden moment, this choice caused a lengthy rift to form between them. Looking good! He was far away enough for Yuno to take far more major risks. The more distance that she put between them the more of a chance that there was of the boy giving up and going back. But it did not take long for Yuno to realize that Yukiteru was very determined, the look in his eyes showed that he had no intention of letting up just yet. So she pivoted and planned to go into the heart of Sakurami City. There was no way that he would continue this little scene if they were to cut through a very populated part of their city! After all, people would try to stop him if he were to bump into anyone. It was way too much of an inconvenience for him, or so Yuno thought. This is Yukiteru that we are talking about, he has made it clear that if he wants anything he will dig his claws into it until it gave into him. Yuno did not allow that fact to pick at her confidence though. If she wanted any hope of getting herself out of this predicament, she would have to put all of her hope into her idea. Of course, it was a high-speed chase she got herself involved in. There was no time for dilly-dallying. So she pushed on, feeling a bit short of breath the deeper that she went within the city.

At last, the two arrived in what was considered the heart and soul of Sakurami City. It was filled with people as always, not as much as rush hour, but it still proved to be quite a popular place to stick around in. People covered the sidewalks, looking down at their phones and or talking to others. The last thing that they expected was for two teenagers who should have been in school to push them out of the way. They glared but could not stop them, they were both simply too fast. This was very bad news to Yuno, anyone who did try to cease Yukiteru's movement was met by very strong resistance from him. He forced them out of the way and continued to run after Yuno. At last, she realized that her efforts were futile. He was going to keep going until he managed to convince her to stop. The least she could do was to keep their confrontation out of the public, so Yuno wrapped around the heart and began to head back towards the direction of her school. Without any doubt, the duo was running out of breath. They could not keep having their little dramatic chase forever, they were only human.

But that is where conditions changed. Out of nowhere, a set of boxes that were lazily set on the side of a sidewalk against a building fell for seemingly no reason. Certainly, this would mark the end of this scene, but Yuno instead urged her body to work a little bit harder and escape the grip of the boy who loomed behind her for as long as she could. So she jumped, clearing the boxes completely. It was quite impressive considering how the boxes were filled to the brim with machine parts and were massive in result. She landed on her feet, slightly twisting her ankle. Wonderful, Yuno was now stuck with an injury. Now that would be the end of this for sure, right? No. As she advanced more towards the school, the girl noticed that Yukiteru was no longer trailing on her. He had stopped at the boxes, perhaps planning to push them aside in order to proceed with the pursuit. But he did not. Yuno was in the clear! The light at the end of the tunnel was noticeable to her now- all that she had to do was safely make it back to class! Only around ten minutes passed, it is possible that her teacher would buy some excuse from her. Her happy thoughts were not able to linger for much longer as, little did she know, that was only the halfway point of this scary situation.

Yuno turned yet another corner as she made her way back to her school. For some reason, she was still making her poor aching legs run even if there was nothing chasing her anymore. It was as if she was still fearful of Yukiteru being there, and for good reason. Her school was not very far from where she was though, all it took was another four turns and she would be greeted to the massive building. The last thing she thought at the moment was for things to suddenly change for the worse. Optimism was not the correct thing to feel and that was proven as soon as Yuno took the next turn. As soon as she twisted around that corner, a very loud noise emitted from her purse. To sum it up, it was a very loud ear grinding static noise that sounded like it could easily be made by a broken device. But in Yuno's case, it came from her phone. Out of complete shock, the girl reached for her phone and looked over it. There was no change, but it seemed like the notes that she kept in her phone had been tampered with. That is exactly where she kept her Family Photo diary, something that she held dear. Hastily, she switched to the notes page and was quickly met with the harsh reality. All of her entries were gone. Every single one of them.

That was enough to rip every bit of confidence that Yuno held in her chest out, practically stomping on it and pushing her over in the process. Yet Yuno persisted. Come on, she was so close to her school already. She could not allow what seemed to be a phone glitch to dishearten her enough to pause now. The assumption that she had on the topic of her phone was not correct though, no. It was far from right, there was something sinister behind what happened. Yuno dashed down the linear path, preparing to take yet another left to her school, but that is when her phone let out another noise. Jumping a bit at the noise, Yuno whipped out her phone once again to read up on what just happened. In the previously clear notes section of her phone was something that she did not expect to see in the slightest. It was enough to make her feel sick, every entry that she had was now replaced with something new. As her pink eyes scanned over the words that were written down for her, the girl's heart practically dropped to her stomach. Every word was about Yukiteru- they were sickeningly sweet and were typed as if they had been lovers for years. Small words of love were present throughout every passage, things that Yuno would never think of even saying to the eerie boy. Shaking her head, Yuno put her phone away and carried on. That was until something else fell in her path, a telephone pole had so happened to lose its base and fall over. Yuno did not expect this and also had no motivation to perform yet another impressive jump. Instead, Yuno slowed down to a stop right in front of it. That is when the unexpected happened.

In front of her came out the boy that she did not want to see, Yukiteru Amano. He smiled at her, lightly cooing; "finally… I thought that I would never catch up to you." From there, he hopped over the pole and came closer and closer to Yuno. This was it. She had no more energy to use to get away from Yukiteru. Instead of running away, she took in a sharp breath and accepted her fate. Whatever he wanted to do or say to her… He won, she gave in and put up the white flag and practically waving it. Yuno, who still felt an intense sense of fear, suddenly spurt, "why did you chase me like that? How did you even get ahead of me like that? I thought that you stopped… And what could you possibly want from me that is so important?" In response to her various questions, Yukiteru smiled and even followed it up with a small chuckle. He approached her, putting his hands tightly on her shaking shoulders. He looked at her in the eyes and slowly shook his head as if he did not understand her feeling of anxiety. "There's no need to be scared…" the boy began.

* * *

Comfortingly, he squeezed Yuno's shoulders and insisted, "and I didn't chase you to be a creep, there was something that I wanted to tell you. This entire thing was kinda unnecessary." Of course he put it bluntly but avoided hurting Yuno's feelings. "But since you asked me what I really wanted out of all of this, let me tell you…" Hence, Yukiteru began to show her the answer to her second question, essentially ignoring the one asking how he got there faster than she did. He leaned in slowly, whispering something in her ear as he did before. Like last time, the sudden approach sent shivers up Yuno's spine. "I want you." The boy then leaned back and looked at her in the eyes, suddenly moving forward and placing a gentle kiss on Yuno's lips. As expected, Yuno's entire body tensed up and her eyes were wide. Why the hell was this boy kissing her? Instinctively, she pulled back and struggled out of his grip.

Yukiteru sighed and released her, taking a few steps back. "I guess that the kiss was a bit on the sudden side. I apologize." From there, he gently brushed his hair with his hands as if he was trying to make himself look better for her. Yuno had no response to that, right now she was far too exhausted and taken aback to say anything. He noticed the pure, unadulterated dread that was displayed in her face. Really, Yukiteru wanted nothing more than snuff that fear out and replace it with comfort. So he thought of what to say, and once he did, his lips slowly parted. "I know that I came off as very strange… But I can assure you that I only want the best for you." This did not register in Yuno's head right away. If he truly wanted for the best for Yuno then why did he choose to come off as extraordinarily weird when they ran into each other earlier? The girl was unable to wrap her head around it but did not want to bring it up. After all, it was her abrupt question that seemingly brought all of this about. She just wished that he did not approach her the way he did, it was uncalled for and beyond unsettling.

Finally, Yuno let in a small breath to talk. The girl lacked the motivation to converse, but at this point, she felt as if it was best. "I understand that you meant no harm, Amano-kun… Though, I thought that I made it clear throughout the school- I am not looking to date." To that, Yukiteru let out a chuckle. "You're very silly, Yuno." He began, still trying his best to fix his hair and make it look smooth. In the end, he gave up and reached into his bag for his tan beanie, which he promptly put on to cover his messy hair. Strange, the bag was meant for darts yet he clearly did not keep any in it. With that, he continued. "When I said that I wanted you, that doesn't exactly mean that I want to date you." He then averted his eyes, signaling that what he spoke was a white lie, no matter. "What I meant was that I want to protect you. And in order for that to happen, I need you to cooperate with me and stay by my side."

To this, Yuno cocked her head. Protect her? From what? All that Yukiteru was doing was digging himself deeper into the ground- he appeared to be very insane and Yuno did not know how to go about his words. "Protect me from what, exactly?" Was all that she dared to ask. In response, Yukiteru put on his own confused expression. He raised an eyebrow and raised his shoulders a bit.

"Oh, he hasn't told you yet?" Those words rung in Yuno's ears for a moment as soon as the boy uttered them. She longed to push the topic a bit further- to ask him who he meant by "he", but something threw her course of action off of its track. Her diary let out a loud static noise, as did Yukiteru's phone. Quickly, Yuno blurted, "you're having that same problem?" Yes, it was a little bit lame to ask that out of nowhere but at this point Yuno felt dazed and baffled beyond belief. The only thing that she wanted was an answer. At least one that would help piece all of this together, because from what she could tell none of this was normal.

Yukiteru grabbed a hold of his own phone- a dark blue flip phone with a screen on the front surface. When a notification popped up on it, that very screen would light up and tell the boy that he received a message. It was certainly a step up from the model that she had- a plain light blue phone that only had a camera planted somewhere on the front of it. That part did not bother her though, it was the fact that Yukiteru was scanning through the notes section of his phone, signifying that he did indeed have the same problem. From what Yuno saw, it seemed like his entire "social experiment" was written out for him similar to how hers was. Unlike his, Yuno's previous entries were deleted without a trace. How peculiar. This was when the girl mustered up enough courage to discuss their similar situation.

"Amano-kun…" Yuno began, trying to snap out of her daze and work with him as he said before. "Did you hear me?" Out of nowhere, Yukiteru fluttered his eyes and shook his head as if he was trying to deal with his own little daze. "I did." And at that moment his composure had changed. Instead of acting like he knew what was going on, the boy stepped over to Yuno's side to look at her phone's dim screen. His eyes widened a bit when he saw everything that was written.

"Y-You have a diary too? ...And all of the entries a-are…" He started in complete and utter disbelief. Yuno recalled that every note on her phone was about him, and she quickly reacted to try to justify what was going on. Her soft cheeks turned red and she squinted her eyes, breathlessly saying what she could to express that it was not her fault.

"I had no say in this!" The girl explained while waving her free hand about, trying to pass off any accusations that he had in his mind. "My diary used to be all about… My parents and I going to places and spending time together. I know that it sounds insane, but I swear that all of my entries changed out of nowhere." As she attempted to clarify what happened, Yukiteru's blush still remained gently spread across his face. He smiled a bit and nodded, carefully stating, "I get it. It sounds like what happened to me in a way, but the topic of my entries didn't change."

Trying her best to disregard the blush that Yukiteru still displayed, Yuno found herself leaning forward a bit to read what was written on his phone. As he said, the subject of the writings still remained. They were all about his surroundings and what others did. Their actions. But there was something that jutted out to the girl fairly quickly. Every entry that was written about her had a small compliment stuck onto the end. For example, a few spoke about how Yukiteru bumped others out of the way when they ran through the heart of Sakurami City. It was simply written with nothing added onto it as if he did not care about them in the slightest. Future predictions that involved Yuno all had something that succeeded them, whether it be a cute remark or words of pure adoration. In that way, the entries that were all about her stuck out far more than everything else. Of course, this made Yuno feel highly uncomfortable, enough to make her back away and turn her gaze to the sky above. Yukiteru watched her recoil and frowned- it appeared that he caught the reason why she did it.

He put his hand on her shoulder gently, causing her to bounce a bit due to the sudden touch. That seemed to be his way of comfort as of right now, at least he was not making any further moves to make her more uncomfortable. It seemed like he cared, but what about his original unsettling appearance? Yuno did not really know nor did she care at the moment. Right now her only desire was to get down to the bottom of this. So she spoke up. "Since you have one of these too, can you answer something for me?" challenged Yuno, who seemed to be looking at both her diary and the one that Yukiteru held tightly in his hand. He moved his attention from his diary to the girl and beamed at her. "I'll tell you anything that I know, Yuno."

There was something about the way that he answered her that sent chills up her spine. Perhaps it was the sudden happiness that he had as soon as he realized that he could help her? Or maybe it was the fact that it seemed like he knew something that she did not and he did not intend to tell her. Regardless of that, Yuno went on to ask what she had in mind. "Is there something behind these… Diaries? I don't understand how they work or what they are meant for…"

Yukiteru lingered on the thought for a moment and shook his head as if he could not believe something. "Ah alright, so he didn't tell you about all of this. A shame, I guess that I'll tell you what I know about it." Yuno raised an eyebrow at this and instantly demanded, "what do you mean he? Who is he?" Though her outburst was uncalled for and out of nowhere, it was somewhat justified. After all, the girl had no reasoning behind any of this. This confusion does not just start with the diaries, but it spans all the way back to why Yukiteru was following her around. Yuno was beginning to grow agitated due to the apparent lack of knowledge that she had.

A bit taken aback by her eruption, Yukiteru flinched and lightly gulped. Once again, he jumped back to his usual nervous and awkward self. The side of him that went against the eerie one that Yuno was introduced to today. "C-Calm down, please… I was going to get to that, I just needed time to talk…" He croaked, shutting his phone and looking directly at Yuno. His eyes were lowered and his eyebrows were furrowed, and from the looks of it his body was quite tense. This made a sudden feeling of guilt take over Yuno, pulling at the strings of the deep-rooted frustration that she had. Letting out a long sigh, she simply apologized for how outspoken she was just now. Yukiteru grinned at her kindness and as he did the tension seemed to leave his figure almost instantly. "It's okay, Yuno. I get why you're so frustrated, and it's my fault for beating around the bush for so long. I'll tell you everything now, okay?" He spoke with an overflowing sense of honesty unlike before. This comforted Yuno somewhat, and she found herself acknowledging his candor with her own personal smile. It was a little bit forced, yes, but this was a small relief in the mix mash of feelings that she felt in her chest.

Slowly, Yukiteru turned his diary towards her. "So you see these entries and how they're all written in a way that they tell us the future, yeah? To put it bluntly, that's basically the point of them." As he gave his own view of the powers that they were given, Yuno felt the overwhelming frustration bubble up again. He obviously did not change, his speech was hesitant and he was oversimplifying every bit and piece of his explanation as if he was avoiding the most major aspect of them. Despite the clear lie that he told about being as open as he could, Yuno forced her annoyance inside to stay where it was instead of coming out and taking another jab at the boy. As he proceeded with his fake crash course on them, something out of the ordinary happened. The familiar static noise emitted from the diary once again, also sounding from her own. As it did, the screen was overtaken by gray fuzz and the moment it returned the future was rewritten. Out of a newly forming instinct, Yuno flipped her own diary out and looked at it. But there was something that contrasted what was jotted in Yukiteru's diary. It was very different and happened to be extremely chilling at the same time.

There, at the bottom of her diary, was a phrase that would prove to be very important as her life became further displayed.

**DEAD END.**

* * *

In a bit of a panic, Yuno read the entries above it. The way that it was written made the girl feel sick- it spoke in a way that Yukiteru had to fight back their hypnotized peers with nothing but his body. The fight, as written, took a turn for the worst and Yukiteru was going to be forced to watch Yuno get choked to death by a group of boys who she could not overpower. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she turned to the boy with an angry look. "Just what kind of joke are you guys trying to pull on me?!" She yelled, finally snapping under the pressure. "I-It isn't funny anymore! You're scaring me!" It did not take very long for Yukiteru to give his own return to her distress. His previously anxious look morphed into a far more serious one as he made his own demand. "Tell me what it says! We have no time to mess with it if it's what I think it-"

Yuno cut him off and hissed, "Dead end." At that moment, the duo's diaries changed once more and the same thing was listed under Yukiteru's diary. He had his own dead end flag; at this rate, the two would die in an hour. They had to move.

Yukiteru lowered his gaze and grabbed Yuno's hand, pulling her along with him. "Okay look, this is going to sound scary but we have no room for error. All of this is real, everything. This isn't some dumb prank that I'm pulling on you, just trust me and follow your entries." He looked back at her with his frosty blue eyes- compared to the usual color they were far more faded, showing that something had just broken within the boy. This meant that something serious was happening. Yuno gulped, trying to process everything that was going down. There was no room for a mistake like he said though, so that also meant that Yuno being hesitant like this could easily lead to their death apparently. She wanted to believe it but also had trouble getting the fact that her peers were going to try to hurt them.

Now that she thought about it, who did she trust more? This boy or the others at her school? Yuno was not sure at this point but she decided to just go with the flow and follow Yukiteru. It did not take very long for them to pass by the school since it was so close to where the chase had ended, and to Yuno's dismay, something was definitely happening. It was littered with books and other school supplies- all thrown as if there was some huge fight. And her observation was right, looking through the window revealed that the students within the school were fighting tooth and nail. It seemed like a select few peers had not lost their minds though, along with most of the teachers and staff. Yuno watched as the crazed classmates roughly grabbed the innocent ones by the hair, dragging them out and slamming them onto the ground. The ones who stood outside tried to hold them in their place as if they were trying to create a pile and make sure that they could not widdle their way out of it. It made Yuno feel nauseous, what were they thinking?

But Yukiteru kept running- it seemed like he planned to make his escape with her. This resulted in Yuno slamming her right foot into the ground to stop him in his tracks. He paused and nearly tripped due to her sudden movement. Looking back at her with his distant pupils, he questioned, "what is it, Yuno? We need to leave right now."

To this, Yuno shook her head vigorously. "We aren't going to run away like cowards, Amano-kun! If we leave this scene and let the others keep hurting the others… What kind of people would that make us?" She insisted, stomping her foot on the ground and pulling her hand away from his.

Yukiteru squinted a bit and responded with a completely baffled edge in his tone. "I don't understand- it's not our problem, why bother?" Yuno's initial reaction was that of disgust and ridicule, but at that moment it clicked with her. He was the school's loner and he barely knew anyone; all that they did was treat him with disrespect. Obviously, he was not able to grasp the magnitude of this situation, after all, he was not friends with anyone in Sakurami Middle School. From what it looked like, Yukiteru could not feel for his peers nearly as much as Yuno was at the moment. Yuno clenched her fists and muttered a cold, "you wouldn't be able to understand." With that, she puffed out her chest and prepared to enter the hell before her, leaving the boy behind in the dark.

He watched her walk towards the school with nothing but forged courage. Strangely, despite the fact that he was so painfully rejected by Yuno, the boy began to laugh to himself lightly. It started off as silent chuckles but soon evolved into far more audible laughter. It did not sound disturbed in the slightest, no. It was made up of pure adoration. The grin on his face was so wide and his blush was very evident. Yukiteru cupped his cheeks in his hands as he shook his head, trying to deal with the overflowing feeling of love that he had for her. "Y-You're always so breathtaking, Yuno…! I love you so much!" He thought to himself, looking up towards the direction that she ran. The desire to run after her and help her took over Yukiteru, even if he truly did despise every person who attended that school except for Yuno. And so he did, he trailed behind her without any second thoughts.

* * *

As soon as Yuno stepped into the premises, she was greeted to a group of deranged students putting all of their body weight onto a pile of people. At the bottom lay her friend who she went to the cafe with a while back. It looked as if her rib cage was being tested- she could not talk. Yuno gritted her teeth and had an urge to tackle all of the students off, but as soon as she stepped forward to do it Yukiteru came out of nowhere and did the job for her but far better than she ever could. She watched the students fall to the ground as Yukiteru reached out to Yuno. "I'm here to help you." He told her with nothing but affection in his voice. "I hope that you can trust me."

Yuno knew that they had no time for conversation though, she simply nodded and helped the struggling teachers and students up. While she put time into doing that, two frenzied boys stepped behind her and planned to pin her down and beat her into a pulp. Yukiteru noticed their intentions right away and stepped in front of them, elbowing one in a peculiar angle that sent him tumbling to the ground with an injured eye. The other one had it much worse, because Yukiteru had landed a blow that snapped their nose. Yuno heard the sickening click and turned to the boy, scolding him. "Don't be so rough on them!" She said, holding him by both of his hands. "They'll come to their senses eventually, you just have to give them a chance." To this, Yukiteru smirked and replied. "I'm sorry, Yuno. I'll do my best for you, okay?" As expected, the girl shrugged off his gentle words and continued to aid the others.

Since when did Yukiteru get so good at fighting? From the looks of it, it seemed like he would not be able to muster the strength to break someone's nose like he just did. The boy kept throwing change after change, completely flipping over her original assumptions about him. At this point Yuno decided to keep an open mind about the boy, he was not what he showed that he was during class time. Yuno turned her head to face him as she notified him about what she saw. "There's more coming from inside of the school! I guess that we're just going to have to pull through and stop as many injuries as we can until the police arrive, Amano-kun."

She was greeted to a frown from the boy which meant nothing good. "I'm sorry to say, but they aren't going to be showing up mass numbers to stop this," Yukiteru told her, putting his diary into the safety of his shorts' big pocket. Yuno went to speak but was then attacked by a student who was trying to get up from the pile. Obviously whatever was causing them to fight had just spread to more people- nobody was safe. Fortunately for Yuno, Yukiteru was there right away to save her without a second thought. He grabbed the person and had every intention to throw them onto the ground and stomp on their head, but took in a breath and held back his instinctive protectiveness just for the sake of Yuno's happiness. So he wrestled them and put them back onto the ground, avoiding hurting them too much. All that he wanted was to earn Yuno's kind words, he would do anything for her even if it meant that he had to hold back. At least, that is how he was thinking right now.

"What do you mean? They aren't coming to help? This is a disaster, they need to come and break this up!" Yuno growled, stepping back to view the mess in front of her. It was only getting worse as they spoke. Suddenly, Yuno whipped her attention to Yukiteru and desperately asked, "and how do you know- why should I trust you?" The boy before her snickered a bit as he pulled out his diary, carefully turning the device towards her so that she could read the entries. Quietly, he reminded her of the truth. "Remember, we have the future in our hands. My diary happens to be the Indiscriminate Diary." He then put it away, reaching out and ruffling her hair as if this was all a joke that they did not need to stress about. "I like to refer to it as the DEAD END avoider, I'm sure that it's very useful in that regard." His little joke aside, Yukiteru decided to spit out the truth and a possible solution to make this situation a bit less hard on Yuno. "It says that they won't arrive here in proper numbers to break up the fight and that you will die from the sheer amount of attacking students. We're going to have to move- they're only getting more violent. Time is running low for us."

His final statement was further proven when a girl threw her entire body at him, which ended in him simply sidestepping. The student who fell on their face miserably looked up at Yuno with faded eyes- they were like a zombie! To her horror, it was the face of one of her friends. This was a harsh reminder for Yuno, her friends were involved in this too. If they did not find a solution fast then they would surely end up tearing each other apart. Yuno motioned for Yukki to come closer so she could whisper something to him- something extremely important.

"You speak as if there's a way out of this, but how?" She put it bluntly. "I'm not running away from this, that would be selfish and cowardly. Is there some sort of source?" Her thought process made sense for sure, but thinking about it would do her no good. Like before, Yuno needed answers.

That question caused Yukiteru to avert his sparkly blue eyes. It looked like he was digging through his thoughts for some sort of response to the girl. He looked down at his diary and then back up at the people who were tearing apart the innocent staff members and students before him. He contemplated it and did not give Yuno the response she was looking for in a timely fashion. Growing a bit impatient, Yuno repeated herself, asking if there was a cause behind this scene. At last, it clicked in the boy's head. "There has to be, it's not like this is normal." To that, Yuno's expression drooped, openly showing how underwhelmed she was by that answer.

"I knew that." She said, standing up. "But I want to know who is doing it and where they are. We need to convince them to stop." Yuno spoke in a pacifistic tone, she had no plans to hurt the person behind it or snap at them. All that she wished for was for them to cease what they were doing to her peers. Then, she decided to warn Yukiteru about her next idea. "I'm going to step into the school now. I know that things are a complete and utter mess in there but it's all that I can think of." And with that, she spun on her heel and took the huge risk of stepping into the crowded school.

At that point, Yukiteru was beginning to grow quite antsy. He knew that Yuno was putting herself in a dangerous spot and that she did not know how to fix this problem. He wished that she listened to him and ran away from the situation while they had the chance. That very thought happened to strike him the wrong way. Really, Yukiteru was often mocked by others for being such a coward. All that he did was retreat from tough predicaments and run to others for help. He was doing the same thing but it was affecting Yuno- and now she could very well get hurt. Growing angry at himself, Yukiteru clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. The feeling of rage due to the negative thoughts kept bubbling and mixing until he finally had another change in composure. He went from awkward and nervous to creepy, to loving and caring… Now he was starting to shift back to the part of him that he did not want to show. His eyes grew disconnected from reality once again as he went into the building to join Yuno.

* * *

The condition of the school and those within it were horrific, Yuno could barely wrap her head around how it happened so fast. Glass was broken, school supplies were scattered… Students were trying to rip into the skin of innocent ones who kept crying out for help. It was appalling in the eyes of Yuno- what could possibly cause them to do something so heartless? Yuno shook off the fear that was weighing her down and tried to push those who were assaulting the harmless out of the way. But it did not work very well. In fact, she ended up getting caught in it. Her pink hair began to get pulled and jabs were thrown her way, but Yuno did not scream. Instead, she puffed out her cheeks and tried to defend herself. But the oncoming strikes stopped and Yuno looked up to see what put a pause to it. Standing in front of her was Yukiteru, which was not very surprising. But his eyes were as faded and icy as they were when they first met. It was enough to make Yuno shiver.

He reached out for Yuno, helping her up and forcing other dangerous students out of the way. His forceful shove was enough to make them lose their balance and fall back, smacking their head against a nearby wall. When she saw what he was doing and how he had no plans in backing down, Yuno tried her best to stop him. "Amano-kun, I said not to be so…-" But she was met with a shockingly sharp look on Yukiteru's face. As he eyed her over with his frost-colored pupils, he coldly stated something that she did not anticipate. "We have no choice, we have to fight back. It's not so much about them right now, it's about the person who is behind this. They're only blockades to us, you need to understand that."

As they went further into the school, reaching the other side of the campus, Yuno furrowed her brows. "They shouldn't be treated like objects, you know! They may be having this fight right now b-but… Once they regain their senses they're all going to be hurt because of your actions!" Barked the girl as she denied the truth as much as she could. To this, Yukiteru sighed and decided to push the reality of the situation even more in hopes of making her realize what they were dealing with. "Yuno." He began, making his way to the door. Students stood in their way and he let go of her hand, going ahead and forcing his bony shoulder into their chest. They did not fall right away and grabbed him by the arms. From there, Yukiteru let out a grunt and forced his entire body into a nearby door, slamming their head into it. It was enough to make them dizzy and let go, and from there he pulled them off of him and threw them as if they were simply a pest. He looked back at her. Insanity was visible in his eyes, he had lost it just like the rest but in his own special way. He chuckled and began, "Yuno, this is just the beginning of what our newfound powers bring about. Yes, we get to read entries that predict the future accurately and that is amazing. But it is a double-edged sword and you need to understand that."

It was very belated, but Yuno was finally getting the answer that she wanted earlier. The predicament that they were in though made telling it quite inconvenient- violent students continued to lash out at the two and Yukiteru did his best to push them away. As he did, he found the last bit of his sanity leaving his body. He felt excited- exhilarated even! There was so much love and adoration in his heart at the moment, it felt like it could rip his chest open at any moment and burst! The boy grinned wide as he did earlier, but it was mixed directly with his insanity. He laughed and continued on with his reasoning. "This is the survival game, Yuno! We have to fight to the death with ten other people! And believe me, we're going to have to work as a team if we want any hope to survive…"

Yuno watched in horror as he shoved others to the ground, paying no mind to them as if they were nothing but pests to him. He went on with his little declaration, his wide smile staying right where it was on his face. "But we can do that! I'm sure we can, after all, we're meant to be!" Yuno had no say in this, she was far too creeped out to dare to speak up. She watched helplessly as he persisted with his energy rush. He was so damn elated to drive his fist into the faces of those who tried to harm Yuno. It was as if he was putting on a show and the audience was clapping for him, that is how he acted.

_"Just let me step up and protect you, you don't need to do anything! Nothing at all, just be happy… That's all that I ask."_

A survival game… That was new to Yuno, she never heard about it prior to it being mentioned by Yukiteru just now. She had no idea whether to trust his words or not since he was acting and possibly speaking through the excitement that he felt. She knew that she would have to worry about that, but right now this boy was trying to hold back attackers and hurting them in the process. Yuno did not want that, she wanted the strife to end. So she took in a breath and stepped forward, tightly gripping Yukiteru by the hand. She frowned at him and mumbled, "I want you to stop. I understand what you told me but this isn't' the right way to go about it." His hand went limp in hers and his expression began to droop. He was being scolded and did not like it- that meant that he was also not being a help but a bother. Just like always. Yukiteru sighed and tried his best to recollect himself, kicking out the giddiness that he felt throughout his figure. It was very challenging, his arms kept shaking and he felt lightheaded. But he did his very best for his beloved's happiness.

At that moment the situation changed completely. Another curve ball was thrown at Yuno and she knew that she would have to try her hardest to process it. The students stopped attacking the other innocent people who laid on the ground helplessly. At first, when Yuno realized what was happening, she let out a breath of relief. Thank god, it was starting to end. Maybe they were starting to get tired? She was not sure. But it was quickly revealed that this was just an intermission to this horrible situation. The eyes of the innocuous peers and staff who were getting assaulted before were now faded out just like the others. It did not take very long for both Yuno and Yukiteru to notice that every bit of this school was under someone's control. The poor girl, who was beginning to feel quite agitated due to how bad things were starting to get and the lack of help from outside forces, found herself growling and saying, "what's with everyone? Could anything else go wrong?"

Yukiteru decided that it was best to back out of the building, so he clutched Yuno's hand and yanked her out of the door along with him. He closed the door and held it there, preventing anyone else from escaping the walls right away. Of course, the two did not have very long until the controlled began to make their rounds around the building and find them- or maybe even smash through the windows and get to them. Taking in a sharp breath, Yukiteru forced all of his strength back onto the door and checked his diary. Their dead end flags still stood tall, but the time that they struck had been pushed back another thirty minutes. At this point, all that they were succeeding in doing was delaying their death. If they wanted to get out of it they needed to pull off some sort of miracle, and Yukiteru knew that very well. In order to get to that point, the boy had to change his way of going about things. How would others deal with this, he thought to himself. Clearly, he was doing it all wrong.

* * *

He looked at his entries and noticed that they were not helping much, all they did was describe the horrors that came from the students being violent with each other. "We know that they're being hypnotized somehow, that's a given…" Yukiteru began, scanning over what was written while holding the door shut. Glass could be heard shattering behind them, causing him to go on edge. "Check your diary, tell me what it says. Quietly." He spoke as if someone was around to hear them. That is when it clicked with Yuno- the way that he was describing this situation connected to what he was saying amidst his erratic tangent earlier. Someone was causing it, was it one of the "ten people" that he was speaking about? There was no way that they were trying to hurt them for real, right? Things were beginning to come together and Yuno did not know how to feel about it. But she complied to his demand and checked her diary, utilizing it for the first time. It was all about him, yes, but it touched on how Yukiteru ended up getting into a physical fight with someone who wore a torn up mask over their face.

Yuno decided to voice that to him, it had to be important. "In fifteen minutes you will be getting into a fight with someone wearing a mask. I don't really know what that means or if they're important, but…" As Yuno spoke about her doubts, it caused a chain reaction that caused Yukiteru's diary to go off. This only meant one thing to him; the person who was behind this could hear them. They knew what they were talking about. So he decided to test it one last time, openly saying something that Yuno did not expect him to say. "See, that's how diaries are important! You're really learning, aren't you? I'm proud." Yuno was planning on getting defensive- why was he being so kind to her when their lives were at stake? The moment that the static noise wailed from their phones one last time, Yuno suddenly caught onto what he was doing. There was someone here and what they were doing was causing the future to change. And whoever they were, they could hear what they were discussing. It must have caused them to go on edge.

The girl smirked when she figured out what he was trying to do. "I am! Before we know it, I'll get so good at it that we become an unstoppable team. Nobody will be able to stand in our way from there, right?" As expected, these sickeningly sweet words did not roll off of Yuno's tongue in the slightest. They were very forced, but clearly, they worked out because the future shifted once again. Out of nowhere, Yukiteru let go of the door and allowed the hypnotized students to pour out. He grabbed Yuno by the arm and pulled her to safety as a man jumped down from atop the school, safely breaking his landing by aiming for the stomach of a student. As soon as he stomped on them, blood dripped from their mouth onto the black boots of the man who now stood before them with crossed arms. He kicked the boy that he injured aside as if he were a toy.

* * *

Yukiteru huffed a bit as he looked over the new threat. Whoever it was had a strange choice in fashion, and both Yuno and Yukiteru found themselves thinking that. He wore slick black boots that now had a bit of blood on them, ruining the shine. As their eyes went upwards, it was revealed that he wore a tight black getup that was completed by a tattered cape that ran down to the back of his kneecaps. It flapped in the wind, which brought their attention away from the beat up mask that he wore. It was mostly intact but had a few rips here and there. It resembled a giant eyeball, and around its "pupil" was a red circle that was complete with a red line down his chin area. It was all kept together by a singular dark rope.

They could not pass him off as nothing but a joke though, no, he still posed a threat to them. After all, their diaries both pointed at him being the villain who was behind this. What they did not know was how much the man hated to be called the wrongdoer. In his mind, he was the savior, the one who would save Sakurami City from eternal suffering and despair. It was all in his own special way though. And if he were to explain his views and morals to anyone who was not him they would surely call him mad.

The man stepped towards the two, raising his right hand a bit as if he were raising the dead. Yuno's peers, who seemed to be knocked out cold, began to awake and stand up to surround their master. They served as his meat shields, perse. The girl could not believe that someone could have the power to do something like that- hypnotization? That was something that you often saw in movies. But this was definitely real and the duo was facing it head-on.

Slowly, the man let his hand fall to his side. He began to speak in a voice that would make anyone feel like they were in trouble. It was bitter and slurred as if he was partly drunk under that mask, or maybe something more. What he spurt next was complete and utter nonsense. "I see…That you two are the ones standing in my way. Standing in the way of Sakurami City's true savior… And for that you will pay." He then sluggishly put his arm out, demanding the students to attack them without any mercy. "Pay with your life…"

From what it looked like, this man coined himself as the city's hero. He believed that he was doing good for it but all that he was doing was harming students who could serve the city very well in the future. Yuno gasped a bit as people began to inch closer and closer to the two. It was not just the group that surrounded him, but every other person within the premise. They came from every direction- left, right, forward, behind… And it was not just the staff and students at this point. The useless cops who finally arrived far too late were also there, pointing guns at the two. Yuno's heart dropped to her stomach. Was this checkmate for the two? Already? She had no idea how to deal it and found herself taking her diary out due to pure instinct. Yukiteru reached out and gently patted her hand, signaling for her to put it away. "Don't take that out. If they break it, you'll die."

Wonderful. Yuno's life was apparently bound to a cheap flip phone that could easily snap under the smallest bit of pressure. That was the least of her worries right now, she simply wanted to get out with her life. "W-What do we do?" She suddenly asked Yukki, pushing herself closer to him in an attempt to get away from others who were getting closer to her. To that, Yukiteru turned to her and tried to give her a comforting beam. "You want to get out of this without hurting anyone, correct?" Yuno nodded to his question instantaneously- she wanted nothing more than to fix this situation without anyone else getting hurt. Except for the perpetrator, of course. If they had to give him a slap on the wrist, or in this case a punch to the stomach, to get him away from here then she was more than open to doing that.

"Follow my lead then. I want you to get around all of these students without getting hurt. As for the gunshots, just run. The chance of them hitting you if you move is extremely low. They have no idea how to go about hitting a bulls-eye." Yukiteru spoke as if he knew them very well, but Yuno paid no mind to it. The plan seemed extremely lackluster but at this point, the girl was willing to accept anything. She took in a breath in an attempt to soothe her nerves and mustered every bit of courage that she could to run through the crowd. Mirroring her, Yukiteru did the same. As he did, he waved to her and gave her a smile. Unsurprisingly, Yuno rolled her eyes at his attempt to be kind to her. He really needed to cut out that flirting stuff while they were nearly about to die.

Yuno did not know that the man who stood before them could not see them past the mask, in fact he could not see them at all without the mask. He was blind and had superhuman hearing. So he looked left and then right, and did not know what direction they were coming from. This confused him and he ordered his goons to attack, and they listened without hesitation. Yuno's eyes widened as they began to close in on her like a tidal wave- they wanted nothing more than to grab a hold of her neck and choke the life out of her. Yukiteru detected her fear and called out to Yuno, saying; "don't let them scare you! If you do, we're both going to die!"

The bluntness of his statement caused Yuno to push herself even more, and despite the fact that a girl managed to grab her hair and pull it causing a handful of strands to be plucked right of her scalp, she kept running for her life. Not just her life, but Yukiteru's life and everyone else here. The two, who were running in the shape of a "C", made the final curve and approached the man from both sides. Yukiteru grabbed one arm and Yuno grabbed the other, apprehending him. He fell onto the ground and yelled out to his victims to kill them. Not just stop them or get them off of him, but "skin them alive" They listened, approaching the two and reaching out to them in their best attempt to stop them from fighting their master. But they did not stop, Yukiteru lashed back at them and tried his best to hold them back. He would not be able to hold his own for very long though. After all, guns were thrown into the mix. While he did insult their aiming, if they were aiming at a still target then it was as easy as throwing a dart onto a dartboard. So he kept his cool and walked forward with confidence. As he did, he spoke to Yuno without turning back. "Take off his mask, if you do that he won't have the motivation to continue I'm sure. He wants to keep his appearance concealed."

She heard what he said and nodded, reaching for the ropes that were double knotted around his neck. The man struggled and fought back but to no avail, Yuno had her legs around him to hold him back from wriggling away from her. She forced his arms downwards and ended up keeping them on the ground with her legs too. Putting her entire body weight on them, Yuno continued to untie the mask, making it lose its spherical shape and droop onto his face. The moment that he moved it would surely slip off. But Yuno tried to pull it off anyways, which resulted in the man using as much strength as he could to force Yuno off. He knocked her onto the ground and kicked her chest with the back of his boot, winding her. Yukiteru looked towards the girl in complete shock. He messed with the wrong person, that is for sure.

Desperately, the man tried to adjust his mask and tie it back but Yukiteru took over the attack. Those who were being controlled by him were halted due to his lack of hypnotizing- he was falling behind so his orders did not reach them as swiftly as they did before. That is when it struck Yuno. The more that they distracted him, the more that the others would snap out of their daze! Yuno struggled to her feet and kept her eyes on the crowd of people who surrounded them. They were completely still as if they were statues. They only became reanimated once their "master" uttered a command to them.

So Yuno joined Yukiteru, racing towards him and yanking at his mask. It seemed like he struggled with dealing with two annoyances at once- he had no clue how to go about it at the moment since his mind could not keep up with it. He snarled and elbowed Yukiteru, giving him a taste of his own medicine. You could say that it was karma for hurting the other students before, but Yuno struggled to view it as that. After all, they were facing the person who caused it. In reality, none of this was Yukiteru's fault. Yuno called out to the boy once the cruel man stomped on his neck as hard as he could, but he quickly told the concerned girl, "just keep struggling…"

They had to struggle enough to bring a miracle about, and that is just what Yuno did. She continued to be a bug to the man, pulling at his mask and pushing him further and further away from the crowd. The more time that she bought, the more that everyone would come to their senses. Yukiteru watched as their faded eyes began to regain color and their stiff bodies began to beat with life once again. He smirked, forcing himself up once more even if his neck ached. He watched as Yuno dealt with the situation herself without the presence of fear- she was always so amazing in his eyes. That was one of the many reasons why he loved her so.

* * *

With that, he joined Yuno and ended up using his strength to push the man back into the door. At this point he was stuck and the police had regained their composure. He was stuck, there was nothing else to it. The two had won and he lost. It was a very easy victory, all that it took was the man coming out from his hiding spot. That is all that they needed to corner him and bring the others back to their senses. His mistake caused his checkmate to be thrown off, and now it was theirs to take. Yet the man growled and snarled, fighting back like a biting dog.

As soon as he heard the sounds of the previously controlled people beginning to talk- some crying due to the pain that they felt, some asking what happened and what they were doing… He realized that he had lost- it was now crystal clear to everyone. Yuno and Yukiteru decided to retreat a bit from there, simply grabbing one arm each to hold him back. To their surprise, he did not complain nor did he get angry about his loss. He simply let out a deep laugh that sent chills up Yuno's spine. That laugh began to spiral out of control, and it was followed by an uncontrollable fit of laughter that hurt his gut. At last, he pulled himself together and very easily yanked his arms from the two.

* * *

"You really are impressive…" He began, adjusting his mask and tightening it so it did not fall off. "I had no idea that you would last this long, you surely surpassed my expectations." The two watched him while police pointed their guns directly at the man. He listened, hearing the cries of those he hurt. This was complemented by the complaints and confusion that came from others- all of this came together and turned into something similar to a beautiful song to the man. It was music to his ears. From there, he pushed Yuno aside as if she were a complete pushover to him and slowly walked to the side as if he planned to simply get away without any problems whatsoever. "You only hindered our true saviors progress a little bit, but you cannot stay away forever. This was just a taste of what is to come. Sakurami City will be overthrown and saved by us, just you watch…"

His body shook and convulsed as he chuckled a little bit more. "Twelfth. Keep that name in your pitiful little minds, you will surely hear it again and again." From there, he turned and spread his arms wide, declaring something proudly- yelling it out to the entire crowd as if he were giving a very mighty presentation.

**"You are all dirty, sinful wrongdoers who are going against our true god! Soon you will see, you will ALL see exactly where you went wrong!" **

And with that, he let out a shrill laugh that was followed by a loud screech as the police shot at him. Blood spurt out of his chest as he fell over and bled out. Students in the crowd screamed and some got sick at the sight. Yuno's eyes were wide, but she closed them and tried to turn away. Someone had to die, she failed in that regard.

* * *

_(17:21, Walk home)_

* * *

There was a lot that needed to be investigated to say the least. Yuno's head was a complete mess, she did not know how to wrap her head around anything that just happened. It was just a taste, he said. That meant that there was much more to be seen about this dreaded "game" that Yukiteru spoke about. Speaking of him, the two decided to walk home together. At first Yuno denied and said that she was fine and just needed time to think, but the boy insisted that he joined her. She did not want to be rude so she accepted his offer.

As the two headed towards Yuno's neighborhood together, the girl could not help but to think about who Yukiteru was as a person. Today was filled to the brim with confusing discoveries. It was hard to believe that today was the same day that he had been chasing her through the city. From what she saw, Yukiteru had three sides. He had a very awkward and nervous side which is the one that he most common showed towards others. That is the one that she knew very well before their day broke down into hell. There was a loving side that showed up whenever Yuno did something that involved surviving- he seemed to view her as a deity whenever he felt like that. It was a bit on the creepy side, especially since he does whatever he can to make her happy. But it has nothing on his last side, the one where he completely breaks down and acts on anything he can do to keep her safe. And as shown, the two can mix together to create a horrible monster who is not afraid to harm anyone.

He was a puzzle of a person, truly. Everything about him baffled Yuno, she was not able to comprehend just what went on in his head. Perhaps, if what he spoke about was the truth, it was best to stay by his side for at least a little bit. After all, one truth that he spoke was that their diaries went hand in hand. She could not help but to wonder why which brought back the thought that her Family Photo diary was deleted without a trace. This caused the girl to audibly sigh, bringing Yukiteru's attention towards her. He smiled a bit, removing his hat as he did. His hair was a mess but he did his best to ignore it.

"Hey, Yuno…" He began, looking up at the sky and then back at her. The same comforting smile was on his face as he spoke up. "You don't have to call me Amano-kun, nor do you have to call me Yukiteru if you don't want to. You can just call me 'Yukki' if you would like. It's far more simple."

Yuno did not really know how to think about that- the idea of going by a first name basis was a bit strange to her. He already called her "Yuno" which proved that he did not mind the thought. Plus, he seemed to be doing his best to keep her safe. Even if he was very creepy during some points throughout the day, he honestly seemed to want to best for her. In return, she smirked and said, "I'm okay with that. Alright, Yukki..."

As soon as the boy heard the name, his heart skipped a beat. Like earlier, he cupped his hands on his cheeks and grinned. "Ah... I can't believe that I got the chance to talk to you like this… And now you're calling me by my nickname! Today has been one heck of a ride but it ended up fairly well!" He went on, practically fan-boying over how kind she was being to him. Yuno rolled her eyes but found herself giggling at his happiness after a moment. He was a little bit adorable- just how he was acting. That was no signal of a crush or anything, just the start of some sort of friendship with the boy.

"Hey, hey…" She began, looking towards him while keeping her smirk. "There's no need to treat me like a celebrity, I'm just a girl at your school. Right?" To that, Yukiteru nodded but added a very swift, "a very talented and amazing girl whom I look up to." followed by a quiet chuckle.

* * *

The two continued to walk home, exchanging conversations here and there about the day and how they felt about everything that happened. It was a bittersweet, really. Yukiteru- or Yukki, seemed like a very nice person deep down. Yes, he had a few screws loose here and there but overall he seemed like a very kind person. He walked Yuno all the way home and waved goodbye to her, wishing her a good night. The girl found herself waving back and wishing him the same, telling him to stay safe. She stood outside and watched him until he disappeared, and when he did Yuno walked back inside. Her home, in general, was very dark, it seemed like her mother had fallen asleep early. Ushio, her father, still had yet to come home from his job from the bank.

Quietly, she stepped into her house and slipped her shoes off. Today was a very strange day, and now that she was home where everything was silent Yuno had the chance to reflect on her day. Walking to her room, she passed by her mother and peeked into her dark room. It appeared that she was sleeping peacefully- it was enough to make Yuno smile. Gently, she closed the sliding door. Not before whispering a small, "goodnight Mama…" to her.

From there, Yuno walked into her room and changed into her pajamas. A shower would come very early tomorrow, right now she was far too tired to do anything other than curl up on her bed and sleep. Before she laid down, she closed her door and locked it for once. There was something about what happened today that put Yuno on edge- even if her mother despised locked doors, she was going to utilize it for once. Just for tonight. Yuno then threw her dirty clothes into her hamper and headed to her bed, where she plugged her phone into the charger and fluffed her pillow. At this moment the girl was beyond comfortable- she sprawled out and yawned. Time passed and she found herself unable to close her eyes, instead of doing that she simply watched over the moon. She wondered what her peers were doing right now. How were they recovering from what happened today? Her mind wandered off until her eyes finally shut…  
_…_

* * *

Out of nowhere, her eyes shot open from a loud noise. It was from her phone but it was not the dreadful static noise that indicated a future change. It was a rumble. That meant that someone texted her. Assuming that it was her father, Yuno giggled and flipped her phone open. The light hurt her eyes since it contrasted her dark room so much. Rubbing her tired pink eyes, Yuno went to the text menu and looked through it until she found the new message. It was not from her father.

It was from an unknown number. The text simply read:

_"Hello. Are you still awake?"_

Yuno felt a bit unnerved, but as soon as she hesitated to respond another text was sent her way. The words that it contained made Yuno's heart start to beat wildly against her chest.

_"It's Yukki. I miss you, are you okay?"_

And with that, her phone suddenly changed once again. The unknown number changed and was given a nickname. _"Yukiteru Amano 3"_, it read. Once again, something changed without Yuno's say. Gulping, she tried to delete the number. Yes, she would act like she got rid of it by accident. Perhaps tell him that it was categorized as spam. But something unnatural happened as soon as she tried to delete his number. It did not let her.

When she tried, she received one more chilling text from the boy that made her body tense up completely. Poor Yuno felt an immense amount of discomfort well up in her chest once again.

_"__Don't delete me.__"_

* * *

_"Mirai Nikki", also known as "The Future Diary" was written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. None of the characters in this fanfiction belong to me, obviously. They are simply altered to change up the story._


	5. Transition Into Survival

Something was crystal clear to Yuno- her life was slowly changing in a way that she feared. The night that followed the start of the shift in her daily life went very poorly, which is not surprising. Yukiteru kept texting her repeatedly as if she was going to drop dead amidst the night. All that she wanted to do was sleep but he did not stop. Yet Yuno managed to keep her cool and ignore her phone rather than snapping at the boy. Why? Even she did not know what kept her from doing it- any normal person would have told a person who spammed them to cut it out.

The light of morning eventually started tapping at her windows, shining through Yuno's curtains with ease. Groggily, Yuno stirred and sluggishly forced herself up. She did not want to believe that it was morning, truly. The singing of the birds outside of her home said it all though. This was not a dream. Sighing, the girl heaved herself out of bed and checked her phone. Twenty-six unread texts from Yukiteru, wonderful. She marked all of them as a read and had every intention to ignore it. Due to her selfless nature, she found herself struggling to accept that solution, however. Giving into the feeling, Yuno typed back to the boy so he did not have to worry about her anymore. Her message bluntly read,

"Good morning! I fell asleep early yesterday, I'm sorry about that."

And with that, Yuno exited out of the text menu and moved to the notes section of her phone. Out of complete curiosity- not about what Yukiteru was doing, but if her diary was still writing on the topic of the future, she checked up on the entries. To her dismay, they were still coming, written neatly in ten-minute intervals. Really, this was not what she wrote about before… Why did it have to be all about someone that she had trouble understanding? Yuno would have preferred if it was about herself or her family, or even someone that she trusted more than this boy. No matter, she would just have to suck it up and put on a fake smile. Everything was okay, all of this may be some sort of huge misunderstanding- and if not, Yuno would do her best to deal with every situation that could possibly be thrown her way. That was very simple to say in her mind, but as they say, "easier said than done" A survival game, judging by the name alone, was a cruel joke devised by some twisted creature who only wished to see people suffer. Yuno did not have an inkling of what was to come to her over the course of a few months.

Throwing the topic out of her mind, Yuno shut her phone and decided that it was best to prepare for the day. What did she plan to do today? She really had no idea on the surface. According to what she read in her diary, Yukiteru had answered a call that declared that school was to be closed today. No wonder, the entire schoolbase basically imploded yesterday. The cold reminder of what happened caused Yuno to shiver a little bit.

While Yuno tried to conclude what to do today. Perhaps she could visit the Hall of Causalty to see Reisuke! Or maybe she could spare time to continue her arts and crafts projects, such as her own little plush keychain of the little creature. The possibilities were endless, and they very easily hyped Yuno up for the day. She was free! Anything could be done today- for once the girl was very satisfied that school was out for the day. That was until her diary sounded out of nowhere. The future changed suddenly, causing Yuno to let in a nervous breath. Gradually, she made her way over to her phone and carefully grasped it, opening it up to view its contents. The entry that was displayed on her screen caused panic to grip at her heart one more. It read:

* * *

_5/2, 6:31 [Home]_

_Yukki came over to visit and he seemed to be very worried about me. In fact, he kept asking how I was after what happened yesterday._

* * *

Him deciding to check up on her was great and all, absolutely. The fact that he determined that visiting her residence was not though. Yuno's mother despised visitors- she believed that the home was far too cluttered and dirty for anyone to stay over. While things were getting things a little bit better between the two, and yes, Saika was improving mentally… Pushing something like this would not fare well at all. Yuno had to do her very best to prevent Yukki from stepping anywhere near her home or her mother would grow disgruntled. So she brushed her hair and got ready to head outside, disregarding any arts and crafts ideas that she had in her mind before. Two minutes until Yukiteru arrived- Yuno made a piece of toast and put it in her mouth as she left the home promptly. As soon as she stepped out she looked left and right. Strange, he was not anywhere to be found.

Out of confusion, the girl stepped forward and tried to look beyond a tree in the distance to see if he was turning a corner or something like that. He was still not there, yet the prediction still stood. What Yuno failed to think of was looking behind her, because as she focused on looking in that direction Yukiteru had popped up behind her and let out a gentle, "hello there! Are you alright?" This caused her to bounce and turn around quickly. There he was, standing before her in the outfit that she was used to him wearing during school. His trademark beanie covered his messy hair while his orange jacket that was wrapped around his black sweatshirt drew attention away from it. Under it was yet another white shirt, yes, it was common for him to put on three layers of clothing. His yellowish shorts were covered a bit by the lowest layer of clothing, and to finish it off, he wore long brown shoes that did not fully cover up his white socks. It was an interesting look to say the least- it conflicted against Yuno's sleeveless light purple dress.

"Oh, hello Ama-... I mean uh, Yukki! Yes, I'm fine!" Yuno shot him a nervous smile as she waved at him. He returned the friendly gesture and then turned his blue eyes to Yuno's massive home. It seemed like he was impressed by it, in fact, he gave it the same look yesterday when he walked her home. Yuno snapped him out of his daze by suggesting what they should do next. "We shouldn't hang around here, Mama does not really fancy visitors. Y'know?" She went on, motioning for him to come with her to walk. As to where they would walk off to, Yuno had no idea. Even if it was aimless, the girl wanted to get away from the risk of getting in trouble. But Yukiteru grabbed her by the hand gently, turning his attention towards her and then back to the home.

From there the boy spoke, "it's safest if you and I stay here. We can try to stay where we are and try to scope out where our enemies are. It's not the best plan, it has its flaws. We could most likely bring them to us which could be both good and bad…" As soon ad Yuno heard his idea, she shook her head and let go of her hand. "No! I'm not allowing any of this to get close to my house. That's a terrible idea.", her reaction was justified but it seemed to strike Yukiteru the wrong way just a tiny bit. "You have to work with me here, Yuno. " he told her, void of a reassuring smile. "I know that you don't know much about the game but you need to trust me. If we don't get inside soon then we may be found by them."

To this, Yuno cocked her head and quietly repeated "them"? Yukiteru nodded, holding Yuno's hand and trying his best to get her to walk to him to her door. "This isn't an attempt to get into your business. I can assure you of that. We just need to get out of the way of the general public today. We can sort things out from there." Though confused, Yuno tried her best to argue against his suggestion. She understood to an extent but still struggled to see why it had to be her home. "Why can't we go to your house then?" She spurt, not thinking much of what she said. Yukiteru turned to face her, his deep blue eyes meeting her curious pink ones.

"We can't." Was all that he said before stepping before to the front door. Yukki was being difficult once again, which caused Yuno to frown. He was a very tough nut to crack- he never gave her reasons behind his thoughts and he seemed to act on pure instinct. Whatever kept them safest was what he decided to go with. But the girl was not sure whether she should trust his intuition or not, after all, he wanted to flee the scene with Twelfth yesterday. Was this just another form of running? She did not know, but what she did know was that she wanted to get out of the spotlight if he happened to be correct. Summoning all of the courage that she could, Yuno went against her mother's wants and opened the door. Its interior was revealed to Yukiteru and he still seemed to be quite impressed.

He went to open his mouth, but just like she did with Reisuke, Yuno told Yukki to quiet down. She was shaky- her mother was most likely sleeping snugly in her dark bedroom. Any type of noise was enough to stir her and the girl knew that fact extremely well. So she told Yukiteru to step as carefully as he could, avoid any creaks from the floorboards. As expected, the boy complied to her words and stepped as delicately as he could, slipping his way past Saika's room and arriving in Yuno's at the end of the hallway. At the very moment that they stepped into the room, Yuno closed the door and promptly locked it. She was breathing quite heavily for a reason that Yukki could not put his finger on. To him, her mother was just asleep. If he was caught, in his eyes, there would not be much of a problem. But that was a different story for poor Yuno, she would surely get scolded.

"I'm sorry." Yukiteru began with a pout. "I didn't mean to put you through that." He then approached Yuno and lightly touched her quivering hand, taking it off of the doorknob. "We're safe now though, for now." spoke the boy reassuringly. At least he was not being difficult with it like Reisuke was, that little creature could not learn the definition of quiet even if it hit him right aside the head. Yuno let out a sigh, trying her best to soothe her nerves. She opened the curtains wide to allow the light to flow into the room, if she did not it would be completely dark. But out of nowhere, Yukki's hands came from behind her and closed them, causing the area around them to get shrouded in darkness. When she went to ask the boy why he did it, he shook his head and reminded her, "we could easily be being watched. Just be careful." As much as Yuno despised being limited, she gave in and flipped her table light on as an alternative.

Smiling, Yukki sat on the rug in front of her bed and did not even bother to take off his shoes. He was trying his best to be polite- the last thing he wanted to do was making Yuno feel uncomfortable. Though, he already succeeded at doing that many times over. Of course, the girl would never mention that to him. Anyways, Yuno sat herself on her bed and looked down at Yukki. "I still haven't been given a full explanation. Can you tell me about this game you mentioned before? You never got the chance to..." In response to her question, the boy confirmed that he planned to- it was one of the plans that he wanted to complete while he was staying at her house. But his mind was set on other, more important things. The people who were involved in the said game were trying to figure out how far other users were willing to go to get to them- if two contestants were bunched up in one area, unmoving, would they strike? That is what Yukiteru wanted to know, it was meant to test their limits. He did not voice that part of the idea to Yuno though, so the poor girl did not know that her home could possibly be in danger, along with her sleeping mother.

Yuno waited patiently for an answer, looking at the boy's expression that revealed that he was thinking about something. His attention was currently turned towards his diary- he was busy foreseeing the future of his surroundings. To this, Yuno exhaled and laid back in her bed, deciding to do her own thing while she waited. After all, she did not plan to sit in the room in total silence while staring at him. When Yukki noticed that the girl had lost interest in him, he closed his diary and promptly apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm not very used to talking. I can try to talk more if you'd like me to…" He anxiously told her while tapping his fingers together. It was as if he completely forgot to answer what she previously asked. As she anticipated: trying was no use whatsoever. Yukki was only going to pass off the question every time she attempted to ask it to keep her "safe" At least that is what he viewed it as, to Yuno it was simply a bother.

A few more minutes slid by and, at last, Yuno chose to put a stop to getting nothing done. She carefully got to her feet and found herself looking down at Yukiteru. Even though he denied to tell her about the problem at hand, she would be lying if she claimed that he was not working hard. Yes, the boy was very unnerving. No matter how hard she tried she could not understand him or who he was in full. But he seemed to genuinely want her to stay safe in a very twisted and unnatural way. While she did not know him very well, nor did she trust him, Yuno could tell that she was trying her best to figure out who he was in her head. That was not her main focus at the moment though- what was on her mind was her want to continue working on her arts and crafts project. Why? That is simple, it helped keep her at peace. Yuno knew very well that something strange was going on and that her life, along with Yukiteru's, could be in danger. She is only human- she needs to vent in some form. This was her version of an escape.

She tried to stay quiet by stepping so softly on the floor that her footsteps were barely audible. Fear still held onto her shoulders with its sharp grip, weighing her down tremendously. The thought of her mother coming into her room and spotting her and Yukki together scared her beyond belief. But she gulped and pushed on, arriving at her closet and scouting her personal art project out. When her eyes caught the color of the bright green cloth, the girl could not help but to smile a bit. Reaching upwards, Yuno grasped a plastic bin that was filled to the brim with materials to create puppets. The colors were familiar- green, peach, white, orange… It was meant to come together and make someone who was special to the girl. She then stood straight, carrying the bin in her arms. Her hands curled around the rim of it to make sure that it was firmly in her grasp. Her rustling was enough to catch the attention of Yukiteru, who was now looking at the girl with his watchful blue eyes. Yuno failed to notice the feeling of his spheres observing every movement that she made- she instead went over to her comfortable bed and plopped the container onto the surface. She then laid next to it, brushing her pink hair out of the way of her view. That was followed by the girl trying to remember where she left off- and at the very moment she did, Yuno grinned and dipped her hand into the sea of materials. She dug until she unveiled a puppet head. Vivid orange hair was spread across the top of the creation and it was complemented by two dark green buttons that represented eyes. Below them was a patch of pink cloth, it was cut out in the shape of an oval. All of these aspects came together and were neatly sewed onto the face of the puppet.

Yukiteru had been staring at Yuno ever since he heard the first soft footstep on the floor. He always found himself staring at Yuno whenever she did something, whether it be an action or words. He believed that she was amazing in every way possible- she had the ability to be perfect without even lifting a finger in his eyes. Despite the long period of time that he spent gazing at the girl, she unknowingly continued to work on her puppet. As she commenced her project, Yukki jumped left and right in his mind. One side of his head was screaming at him to continue trying to study the actions of their opponents since that was a very important part of survival. The other was arguing that the boy was neglecting the girl- leaving her off to the point where she had to find something else to do. This caused him to grow quite dazed, he did not know how to go about these swirling thoughts in his head. He squinted, resting his head in his hand. After a bit of internal argument, Yukiteru ultimately chose to speak up.

His deep love for her was not the only thing that motivated him to speak. It was also the fact that he knew something that she did not. In his view, Yuno had the right to know everything. How ironic considering that he denied to tell her about the base of the problem that they were facing together. His lips parted as he tried to come up with the proper way to say what was on his mind. And he did. Though, his words ripped through the silence so suddenly that it caused the focused girl to snap out of her state.

"I know who that is." He said out of nowhere as he flipped his diary shut. His shiny blue eyes still pierced through her being- finally, she noticed. Along with the strangeness of the words that he voiced, the look on his face did not help her feel at ease. What did he mean? did he really know who Reisuke was? Yuno grew progressively more nervous as she asked, "who?" The boy then realized how sudden his words were. Great, he was awkward again. He buried his head into his hands as he gently cooed a few apologies. Lifting up his view, his gaze met Yuno's once again. Looking at her right in the eyes, Yukiteru elaborated on his truthful words. "I know him. _Reisuke._"

* * *

Yuno's fingers practically went limp as soon as he confirmed his familiarity with the boy. While she was not very surprised that he did- after all, he owned a diary just like she did, it was still very difficult for her to get something of that magnitude through her head. Gulping a little bit, the girl responded. "I see... " Now, the reason behind her fear was something that was beyond him being aware of who the little boy was. It was the fact that she was reminded of how realistic her "fantasy world", as she put it, was. All of this was still a lot to swallow. Poor Yuno was already aware that this was not some joke that went too far, after all, that masked man was dead set on killing the two of them. This was real, and that fact scared the girl. She did not wish to have such a heavy burden on her shoulders, the fear of death. If only she knew the details, maybe she could try to come up with the best plan of action then. But no matter how nicely Yuno asked, even if she were to resort to begging, Yukki would most likely avoid the question. That annoyed her to the core, but she took in a breath and beared with it for the sake of the boy.

It was as if Yuno placed a wall between her and demanding to know what was going on- Yukiteru knew something that she did not and it was picking at her far more than it should have. But she stopped herself, mentally pushing back her annoyance and forcing a smirk. She needed to pretend that nothing was bothering her or else he would worry about her wildly and most likely grab the attention of her mother. That was the very last thing that she wanted to happen, so she opened her mouth once more and started, "he's a nice kid, isn't he?" What Yuno expected was an enthusiastic nod and perhaps a positive response, but what she received was quite the contrary. The boy hummed, but it was not that of approval. It leaned towards a curious sound as if he had to devote time to concoct a proper answer to her question. After a few grueling seconds, Yukki finally turned his attention back to the girl.

"He's okay…" Yukki noted as he flipped his diary open once more to check the unchanging entries within it. "But it always feels like he's hiding something from me- as if he doesn't want to tell me something." and with that, he let out a heavy breath. "It's honestly very annoying- it irks me a bit." Yuno instantaneously had a bit of an internal clash- this boy was insulting Reisuke over the exact same thing that he did to her! Then, a sudden thought struck her, causing her little hidden fit to cease.

Along with how erratic Yukiteru was at times, did it mess with his mind so much that he did not know that he promised to tell her? Perhaps he thought that he was in the right and that he was doing nothing wrong. After all, he apologized for never talking after Yuno asked about the apparent survival game. There is a chance that he did not hear because it was something that did not settle with him- humans are capable of blurring out certain details to make themselves feel better about a situation. Yuno dwelled on the idea for a moment as Yukki's eyes slowly traveled through the text that lay on his phone's screen. He was so focused on reading the same entries that his eyes had grown quite sharp as if all that he could see was what was in front of him.

This was beyond awkward in Yuno's view- all that they were doing was sitting around silently for the most part. When they did talk, all it took was a few words to kill the mood and cause both of them to deny to speak again. It was beginning to make Yuno a bit anxious, not due to the stillness, but because of his dedication. It is a known fact that Yukiteru is a tough nut to crack- yesterday Yuno was greeted to the two other parts of him. Parts that she had no idea a person could have- clearly he is mentally unstable. Despite this, Yuno felt that it was necessary to reach out to him and become friends. Why? They were in danger yesterday and the way that they put their heads together and got out of the situation was phenomenal. If they truly needed to defend themselves, Yuno stood next to no chance alone. Though fear was present, the girl knew very well that her weakness was her recklessness. Yesterday she intended to run into the crowds of hypnotized peers and teachers, expecting to get out unscathed. That goal was unrealistic, she would have been torn to shreds if Yukki did not step in and defend her. Though it pained her, the fact that he fought back against the students saved them both. It seemed to be the nature of this cruel game, whatever it was. This mixmash of thoughts that made up her assessment of Yukiteru ultimately messed with the logic that she had initially. It was all so confusing, but could she really be put down for it? Yuno came face to face with death yesterday- one change in the masked man's plan would have easily resulted in her death. She knew one thing for sure though, something that anyone in her shoes would agree with. Yuno certainly did not want to die, she was far too young to be killed.

The same could be said for Yukiteru- he was the same age as her, just a little bit older. There was no reason for him to be put to death, even if he could be fairly frightening at times. Deep down he was still an early teenager who attended Sakurami Middle School, much like Yuno. Sure, he had his moments where he was extremely unsettling… Yuno was not going to beat around the bush with that fact. There was something about it that stuck out to the girl though- it was that he seemed to mean no harm. Yes, he was demanding yesterday night and the instances of stalking were a bit much. And those occurrences where reality was a blur… Her diary changed completely yesterday when he posed a threat to her, when she was running for her life, or so she thought. Yuno had no right to draw those otherworldly cases to him though- after all, it seemed like he was in the same place as her. He just wanted to work with her, it seemed. Any normal person would have dismissed Yukiteru and called him crazy from what they saw, but there was something about the circumstances they were facing together.

All of those soft feelings began to pile up to the point where Yuno could not stand it anymore- she felt like she had to speak up for the sake of both of their lives. So she did, the girl's lips parted as she began to come up with the proper thing to say. "Say, Yukki…" Began the girl as she gently grabbed a button from the container that she rested on her legs previously. Slowly but surely, the girl cleanly attached the button to the green outfit that the puppet bore. As soon as those words broke through the silence, the curious boy snapped out of his daze and forced himself to focus on what she was planning to say. In the process, the boy let out a small, "yes?" It came out as a tiny delayed sound that Yuno barely caught- if she was not looking in his direction she would have surely missed his reply. Once again, his shy side was showing. But that was only the surface of who he truly was. There was no reason to dwell on these thoughts much longer though- Yuno wanted to speak to him to develop some sort of friendship between them, enough to be able to work together and slip past disasters smoothly. Unfortunately, the girl did not know the difficulty that was dragged by that goal. It was not the type that many would assume it was, no, it is far different.

Instead of realizing how dangerous her planned actions were, Yuno remained blissfully unaware as she attempted to extend more of an olive branch towards the boy. "Are you okay?", she calmly questioned as she kept her gaze on his now flustered face. He did not know what to say without being on the awkward side, so he blinked a few times and then quietly stammered, "everything is okay! Are you worried about me? Did I do something that made you concerned? W-What was it?" His explanation swiftly turned into a series of desperate questions- it was as if he was defending himself from some sort of social mess-up. But there was no pressure- none from Yuno or the surrounding area. Everything was quite still, so Yuno had trouble understanding why he was so nervous. She chuckled while she continued to try to push any negative thoughts to the back of her mind. Now was not the time for those- not at all.

"You didn't do anything, silly." Yuno insisted kindly, bringing her attention back to the puppet that she was still putting finishing touches on. The tail still needed to be attached with the help of more thread- without it the flimsy decoration would most certainly fall off. She went on with the conversation that she began, despite the fact that she was now hard at work again on her craft. "You looked very… involved? Focused? I'm not sure what the best word to describe it was- but you've had your nose buried in your phone the entire time." Of course, she skipped the detail where he was staring at her and watching her every move.

Yukiteru's face turned progressively red as the girl conversed to him- the anxiety that he felt was apparent. Putting his phone down onto the hardwood floor below, Yukki began to nervously tap the sides of his hands together. This was an attempt to feel something other than the very strong wave of feelings that he felt in his chest. "I'm just doing my best…" He answered, which leaned more towards inadequacy. Yuno did not mind though- she told herself over and over that he was very anxious and that was that. Deep down she knew that he could have said more than that- perhaps he was hiding his true intentions from her. But the distrust act was already growing tiring to her, half of her wanted to stay on guard and the other wanted to give up and be nice to the boy. Though, something became obvious to her. It jutted out more than his sudden change in attitude- the fact that his eyes had not left his diary since he placed it on the ground. What was on there that was so important that he had to monitor it? After all, from what Yuno could tell, it did not update every second. Plus, the situation was very peaceful They had avoided a disaster together yesterday, they were bound to get a day worth of break at least- right?

In the heat of the moment, that mostly took place within her mind, Yuno unexpectedly asked, "what are you looking at on your diary? I mean, it doesn't seem like someone is after us right now. We're safe here, it's away from the main part of the city." And with that, the girl averted her eyes. It did not take very long for her to notice how dumb her question must have sounded- it seemed far more intelligent in her head. Surprisingly, Yukiteru's deep blue eyes drifted upwards from the screen as he gently rubbed his cheeks- it was as if he was trying to squish the blush out of them. He then attempted to respond but unlike most people would go about this, Yukki began to stutter to the point where it was hard to understand him. Why was he so nervous? There were so many things about him that could be challenged, that was already established in Yuno's head. They were getting nowhere though and that was obvious, so Yuno decided that it was best to throw in one last gentle question as a last-ditch effort. She articulated it as clearly as she could so the boy did not have to think about some complex answer. It went as such:

"Yukki… Why are you so nervous around me? You were so outgoing yesterday and-" Yuno went on as she lightly pulled at the tail of the puppet that she was making, assuring that it was fully attached and would not fall off due to wear and tear. Unexpectedly, her curiosity was soothed almost instantly- this was the first time that the boy spoke right away. Not only that, there was next to no hesitation in his voice, though there was a touch of bashfulness present in his visage. The words that left his mouth sent a shock up the girl's spine, there was no doubt about that.

"I mean… I'm one of your fans- I can't really control how nervous I feel around you. I'm sorry if that's not…" He went on innocently as if his words held no weight whatsoever. He had even cut himself off at the end as if he did not have much else to say- either that or he did not want to say what else was on his mind. From what she could tell, Yukki did not acknowledge how unnerving his words and actions were at times. What he said seemed to be deemed as normal in his mind- maybe it is a result of everyone setting him aside in school? Yuno did not know, but instead of shrugging it off the girl instead hesitated and replied, "I see. But why do you view me that way?" Unlike his method of conveying his thoughts, Yuno knew exactly what she was saying and the weight that they held. The boy had reacted quite strongly to her question, that was clear by the fact that he kept trying to rub out the blush on his cheeks as he did before. He did not know what to say, similar to what happened before. Yukki had struggled to finish his sentence and now he could not even allow a peep to slip past his shut lips.

It did not take very long for him to try to muster the courage to try once again- to make his view clear and swat any other needless questions away from the scene. This did not come very easily though, coming up with the plan was enough to make Yukki feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety. His fragile figure shook as his thoughts progressively got shrouded in the haze that was his mind. Sluggishly, he batted his eyes and took in one last deep breath. "Yuno, I…" He spoke as he discovered that his body was trembling beneath his hands. The girl could not fathom why the male before her was so nervous. She did not have her hands on a taser- it was not like she was pointing something at him and threatening his life either. Even without those, he acted like he was standing before a cliff and looking down at what lay beneath him; nothing but a quick yet unforgiving death. He gulped once more and tried his best to disguise his obvious fear as preoccupation- as if he was just thinking about how to put his words properly. He had already dug the hole far enough, Yukiteru knew that he might as well do his best to make himself seem slightly normal in the presence of his idol.

* * *

But then something became very clear to the boy. It lashed out at his face, pulling him out of the static-like state that he was trapped in. He was yanked forward by a sudden noise that tore through the eerie silence, snapping Yukki out of his daze. His blue eyes, along with the girl's unsettled pink ones, darted towards the source of the sound. It was Yukiteru's diary, and just seconds later Yuno's joined his. Instinctively, the boy turned his attention to his flip phone once again only to be taken aback by the unexpected change. He did not know about Yuno yet since he had just been introduced to the dreaded note, but Yukki was facing a DEAD END flag. At that moment, it was as if the boy had been splashed by ice-cold water and pulled by the hair. His eyes were far more focused than they ever were, even before Yuno had distracted him from what he was doing before. As for Yuno, she was not yet accustomed to the nature of the game. Yes, she knew that whatever it is was very cruel morally- that was something that even the densest person could pick out from these very few details that were put on the table. It was extremely difficult to wrap her head around the change that would need to be made to her lifestyle, though- which is something that any everyday person would struggle with.

It was inevitable though, Yuno would have to scan over her diary's new entry eventually. She did, and that is when she noticed that there was a lot of movement outside of her home. It was not that very irritating subtle kind that came about when Yuno felt like she was being followed. No, it was a far more conspicuous kind that caught the girl's right away. Outside of her home stood many men and women- they were armed with hatchets and other unpleasant weapons that could easily cut Yuno's life short. The way that they moved was quite unnatural. Their bodies contorted in ways that any person who was conscious would not be able to deal with, it would be far too painful. That was not all; their eyes were rolled to the very back of their heads, giving their faces a very blank and zombified look.

Yuno gasped a bit, shoving her face a bit closer to the window- getting a clear look at the scene below her was mandatory. That is when she was pulled back by the shoulder back onto her bed by Yukki, who bore a very unnerved look. This contradicted how he treated the situation before; yesterday, when he dealt with something as scary as this, Yukki seemed to treat it all as if getting out unscathed required no effort. The fact that the boy seemed to not know what to do, judging by his facial expression at least, made Yuno's heart drop. She silently checked her diary, which was something that she should have done when the situation first arose. Unsurprisingly, her life was also tainted with a dead end flag. It was a nightmare, really. The two were completely surrounded by hypnotized civilians who were dead set on tearing them out of the home with force and hacking them into a pile of bloodied meat. There was something about the way that they acted- the way that their bodies twitched and how their breathing kept hitching… Right, it reminded her of what happened at the school yesterday. Not only was the situation nearly the same when it came to the many people who were after them- the one way that it happened to be different did not lean in the duo's favor. Yukki did not know what to do.

There were no tears in his eyes, nor was there any signs of immense fear that jutted out. But there was something about his composure- how he kept looking down at his diary and then back up at Yuno. He did not know how to go about this problem; the two were cornered in the girl's own house. They were far away from the populated section of the city- if anyone were to see what was going on it would be a miracle, truly. Every option would be futile: going outside and trying to fight them would result in them outnumbering the two and killing them. It was already amazing that they managed to survive yesterday. Fear gripped at Yuno's heart as she shakily whimpered, "I-I thought that we killed that guy! Why are there still hypnotized people? And why are they outside of my house?"

Yukki looked at the panicked Yuno- guilt had taken over his visage completely. It was his idea to stay here and try to lure users to him; the idea was very useless and dumb. The foolish boy did not know why he believed that it would work- the funniest part is that he knew very well that it would not. He knew what was going on and knew the proper way to go about it, but the moment that he tried to take it in his own hands he failed. Taking in a breath, Yukiteru tried to soothe his nerves. It was not time to be in dismay- he learned that. Right now, they had to work together and try to make a miracle of their own. As the swarms of people below got closer and closer to Yuno's home, Yukki quickly demanded, "Yuno- what does your diary say?"

Her eyes shot downwards, looking at the text that was written just above her own DEAD END flag. It did indeed explain that the hypnotized people would succeed in breaking into Yuno's old-fashioned home, and in that time they would also end up injuring and then killing Yukki with a hatchet. It described his death, saying that he would take a hatchet to the neck in ten minutes. This prediction caused Yuno to shudder- was it really true? The lump in her throat caused her to not say anything- the poor girl was far too busy trying to take in everything that was happening. Sighing, Yukki gently put his hand on her diary and tilted it in an angle where he could see the words clearly. Unlike how Yuno took it, Yukki simply nodded. He understood the situation now- he had reached the end of his analysis and now knew the best way out of it.

"There's no way out, sometimes it's best just to retreat…" Yukki pointed out as he looked at his diary's screen once more. Yes, that was what he was able to conclude when he was in his right mind. If he were to be put next to the kind of person he was yesterday, it would be very hard to figure out if the two were the same person or not. The way that he was handling the situation was on the calm side, while yesterday it seemed like his mind had slipped- which caused him to spiral downwards into insanity. "I know that it sounds pathetic, but trust me- I know that very well. You can't go into every situation and expect to live." The words that he spoke were very wise and that is nice, but Yuno could not process them since her house was minutes away from being torn down by rabid civilians.

Yuno gritted her teeth and slammed her diary shut. It seemed like what he said struck the wrong nerve- the girl's frustration with him was apparent. "Run away and leave my house here? My mother?" She demanded as she took in a sharp breath and hoisted herself out of her bed. Walking across her room, Yuno shook her head and turned back to the boy. "Running does nothing! Why try to get away when you're only going to get caught anyway?"

These words caused Yukki to chuckle a bit- it was almost like he found her annoyance adorable instead of threatening. The boy reached out his hand, practically begging her to put hers in his. "Look… I'll work with you then. Tell me what you want and I'll do my best to bring about a miracle, one in our favor." His hand stayed where it was for a moment, and Yuno eyed it over with nothing but sheer uncertainty in her expression. "Just don't be angry, alright?", he continued, "I don't like to see you like this. I want you to be happy"

The girl was baffled, to say the least- there was yet another shift in Yukiteru's composure that made her want to not trust his offer. He went from anxious to confident in a blink of an eye- what was next, insanity? She did not know where his lines were; if she were to deny, perhaps he would end up snapping and throwing himself into the moving crowd of hypnotized civilians. There was still a big chunk of her that did not want for anything even close to that to take place- there was something about the way that they worked together yesterday once the storm in his mind had calmed down… He took it very well and led them to victory. If she took his hand now, would he do the same thing? Maybe it was possible for her to hold him back from breaking like he did yesterday. Honestly, she did not know the correct answer. Her diary's predictions did not move, nor did Yukki's hand. There was no time to think, she was on a time constraint. Instinctively, she pushed her arm forward and grabbed for the male's fragile hand.

_At that moment, reality changed._

* * *

Yuno's hand was met with the warmth of the boy's grip, but where she stood was completely unfamiliar to her. The moment that she noticed that she was no longer in her room, her entire being was taken up by utter shock. Her hand broke away from the boy's and she looked around frantically. Who wouldn't? After all, she was now standing in yet another otherworldly area that her mind could not process. It was not even remotely like her world- the air was quite heavy and yet Yuno felt very cold. There was no earth beneath her- instead, she stood on material that felt like it was manmade. Yet it was something that humans could not come close to making- it was sturdy yet it gave off a captivating white glow. Yuno shook the thoughts off and turned her attention to the sky, which was almost like her own. It was crystal clear for the most part, only a few clouds circled the point that Yuno stood at. They made circles in a very strange way, creating a shape that her world's clouds would never be able to manifest. It was a fantasy-land, and Yuno wondered if it had to do with the only unrealistic beings that she knew.

While the girl was stuck deep in her thoughts, Yukki's hand once again grabbed for hers. This caused Yuno to jump a bit- it was as if she was just pulled out of a deep lake and was now able to take deep breaths once again. Her first impulse was to take her hand away from the boy's and question, "where are we?" It was such a basic question and yet Yuno could not help but ask. She was awestruck, yes, but she could not help but to wonder what happened.

To this, the boy quietly laughed again and responded, "come on. You should know where we are." He was greeted to the sight of the curious girl cocking her head- even with his vivid hint that she knew all about it, Yuno still did not understand. "It doesn't have to do with…" She went on carefully, trying to pry another answer out of him. A part of her knew that she had the true answer somewhere in her head, but she did not dare to assume that it was it. Due to what she said and how cautious she was being about the situation at hand, Yuno was gifted with a cute smirk from the boy- it was as if he was on the edge of giggling again.

Her hand, which was still buried in Yukki's, was brought into a very tight squeeze as Yukiteru began to walk. Urging her to come with her, Yukki brought the confused female forward until they reached a gate that towered over them. On the outside, it looked like a simple arch, nothing more and nothing less than that. The "land", if you would even call it that, was very barren. It stood on its own- all that it was complemented by were the spiraling clouds that loomed above the duo. Yuno raised an eyebrow at this- why was it just sitting in the middle of an empty mass of material? Her minor question was suddenly interrupted by a noise that came beyond the gate, it was almost like a shrill cackle from a creature who did not match up with what she was. It was strange though- nothing stood beyond it, it was just more land. The source went unknown for a few more moments until a small creature came out of seemingly nowhere, tackle-hugging Yuno and wrapping his long red tail around her. "Yunocchi!" He cried as he held onto her tightly. His hug had knocked Yuno away from Yukki and she was now focusing the entirety of her attention on her best friend. "R-Rei… What are you doing here? And how?" Inquired the girl as she proceeded to take his friendly affection.

The creature leaned back and prepared to jump off of the girl, and when he did, he nimbly landed on his two brown shoes with ease. His tail swayed back and forth with delight as the rings that bore rattled with it. "You're just a bag of questions today, aren't ya?" Joked the creature as he slowly lifted his tiny arm to point at the gate. "I came from that gate- that's where you'll be going in just a minute!" Yuno turned her attention from Reisuke to the arch- She could admit that it was the only plausible reason why her little friend came out of thin air. If this was one of his worlds, similar to the Hall of Causality, then it would not be a big surprise. But this was just another wake-up call that this was all real- not just some horrible nightmare that her mind decided to conjure.

The excited boy began to speak once again as he trotted over to Yukki, gently whacking him on the back of his left leg with the tip of his tail. Reisuke received a glare in return for what he did, but it did not lessen the tiny being's mood in the slightest. In fact, he laughed a bit louder than before and, while completely ignoring the boy, went on to say "I hope that you two are looking forward to what comes next!". He then jabbed his finger towards the gate once again, trying to emphasize just how important whatever stood beyond it was. "Everything is set up and everyone is waiting for you!"

Yuno stood where she was, hesitantly scanning over the tiny creature that she considered to be her best friend. His tail was being whipped side to side, resembling a very eager puppy in a way. With each snap of his tail came a distant rattle from the rings that rested around it. "Come on, we don't wanna' keep the old man waiting, do we?" Asked Reisuke, trying to get the two to accompany him as soon as possible. He could make out the massive amount of reluctance that the girl felt, it was as simple as looking over her expression. The moment that he noticed this, Reisuke thought of asking what was wrong- not that they had the time to converse, but he did not want to see the girl in such a state. He wished no harm on her, she was a decent friend who he often had play-dates with; Yes, they have shared many friendly moments over their short puppet role-plays. As soon as he put his thoughts into action, the male standing next to her spoke up. It was as if he could tell that Reisuke wished to speak to her past what he just said- and in his eyes, that was unneeded.

"If you're worried about Twelfth…" Yukiteru began as he turned his deep blue eyes towards her, "you shouldn't be." Yuno's eyes met his once again- a strange feeling to say the least. Whenever they stared at each other like they were, it always felt like Yukki was looking past her eyes- deep into her being. It was chilling, yes, but Yuno did not feel the need to call him out for it; After all, it was something that she felt personally. Though there was something about him that stood out- he was as calm and confident as he was yesterday. Clearly, he had another personality jump. This concept was something that Yuno could not process completely, it was quite difficult to in fact. She was not concerned about that though, what she wanted to clarify was the safety of her mother and her home, so in response to his statement, she challenged him softly.

"What do you mean, isn't he still there?" It did not take very long for her to reconsider what she just said- shaking her head, Yuno queried, "I mean… Aren't the henchmen still there? A-And didn't we get him killed yesterday?" Surprisingly, Yukki shook his head once her question was finished. In an attempt to allay her concerns, the boy swiftly came back with, "They aren't." His eyes, which were previously serene in appearance, promptly shifted to a darker shade of blue. They almost seemed dead- it was as if they were now void of any sort of life. Yukki squinted his unsettling eyes as he took out his diary to scan for proof to back up his statement. When he did, the male turned his diary towards Yuno. "He's here.", finished the boy as the girl's view slowly traveled down the words that were jotted in his flip phone.

It is true- it the words read that they would be met with ten other people once they crossed through that arch that loomed before them. The idea that a group of people and the god of time and space himself were all collectively waiting for them made Yuno feel even antsier than she already was. It was clear that Yukiteru himself was also feeling the effects of this situation they were in, though he went about it in a way that was completely different from how Yuno did. Instead of expressing his anxiety through a constant stream of questions, the male instead forced himself to remain calm. He took deep breaths, looked at his diary here and there to make sure that everything was okay, and he also seemed to find peace in staring at Yuno. This last part made Yuno uncomfortable but, honestly, it was the least of her worries.

The girl found herself falling deeper and deeper into thought- before this, she conveyed that she acknowledged what Yukiteru told her through a nod. Her mind disconnected from reality for just a few seconds as she stared up at the unnatural clouds once again. What Yuno did not expect was for Reisuke to shove both her and Yukki towards the gate. Judging by his attitude, he too felt just a little bit displaced. It was evident that he no longer felt comfortable with the two standing around and waiting- after all, they were being waited on.

"I know that you have a lot of questions- like I said, you're just a grab bag full of em' today…" Reisuke told Yuno as he urged her to pass into the other reality which served as the meeting room for them and the other ten people. "But I really don't want to keep everyone waiting any longer. You were already extremely late as it is", explained he. Yuno sighed a bit as she realized that the duo was getting closer to the gate. It was not Yukki's fault- he seemed to be ready to face whatever they would see. But Yuno still was not able to fully realize that she was involved in something so major. This "meeting" as they called it would surely be the thing that hammered the fact into the girl's head.

So at last, after all of the waiting that had to be done before this moment… Between Yukiteru denying to answer Yuno's various questions on the topic of the survival game and the attacks that she could not understand, Yuno was finally going to have her curiosity put to rest. She closed her eyes, loosely at first, but as she took steps towards the otherworldly arch her eyelids tightened- she was extremely anxious to know what she would see when she opened them next. She was met with a very airy feeling- it was cold and windy as if she was standing atop the edge of a skyscraper. Her hair blew in the wind, tickling her nose and urging her to open her eyes. She was standing on a breathtaking circular structure with an unnatural design. It shared the same strange white material that the area that Yuno had just been standing in had- except this mass of land was held up by various support beams made of very dark metal. They danced around each other, forming abnormal shapes and designs until they met at the bottom, creating the base that held the entire edifice together as one. There was an empty space that lay in the middle for the throne of god to reside in, which it was. Deus's familiar crystalline seat hovered above Yuno and Yukki, along with everyone else who surrounded them.

* * *

Yuno's reaction was not delayed- she noticed that Yukki was now hugging her close and she instinctively shot back, which forced him to let go. This is when something became apparent to her- the many people who enclosed the two in this area were shrouded in darkness; it was as if a dark purple and black veil had been put over them to keep their identity a secret. Yuno's hands and arms were also dressed in this mystical covering- she could not see anything except for the outline of her figure. As for Yukiteru, he did not have as much luck as Yuno and the others. He lacked the blanket of darkness, making him the first one in the circle to be revealed. The menacing eyes of the people before them were stuck on Yukiteru, who let out a sigh after Yuno let go of him. He ambled to his pedestal as the pupils followed him- even the eyes of god were on him. The girl could not help but wonder- why him? Why was he the one chosen to be revealed to everyone here first?

Deus coughed a bit, breaking the dead silence that had arisen as soon as the duo made their entrance. It was not an awkward stillness, but more of a threatening one. It was as if everyone around them went silent in order to caution themselves of them- especially Yukiteru. There had to have been something that set him apart from others, something that Yuno did not know. After all, he was the only one to be fully visible- they could see him from his black messy hair down to his tall brown shoes. Yet he walked to his section of the land, in fact, he walked with complete confidence. He was not put down by all of the scathing glares that he was receiving, no, he straightened out his composure and faced them all with little to no emotion.

"At last…" The god started, grinding his countless spiny teeth together. His voice was enough to rip the attention away from Yukiteru- in just a split second, all eyes were on him. Deus's pupils scanned the ring that formed around him, entertained that such a straightforward start was enough to startle everyone. He lightly chuckled to himself, clearly satisfied by the attention that he was gifted with. "You are certainly an interesting bunch… I am happy to have selected you out of everyone else who resides in your world. Or, as you know, my world." These words were enough to leave a few of the people in the spiral a bit bewildered, including Yuno. They all knew that the world belonged to Deus, or at least that is what he seemed to tell everyone when they met with him. But it was all so surreal; imagine being told that such a strange god was the one who was in charge of everything that went on in your world. Wars in the past, current events… All of that was judged by the hand of causality, which so happened to be Deus's.

His words were met with yet another wave of stillness. It was not that the group shared the same deep-rooted feeling of anxiety that Yuno felt at the moment, it was more so that they were quite reticent. It would take just a little bit more of a push to urge the others to say anything. Deus acknowledged this, and ironically, he was very pleased with it. If there were any loudmouths during the kickoff of his incredible game then there would surely be a problem. The olden god took in a hiss of a breath as he advanced.

"I say that you are interesting because I already see that the survival game is in full force. I have not been given the chance to mark the beginning, and yet you have started without that." Instead of displaying annoyance or frustration, or any emotions along those lines, Deus instead allowed his bone-like lips to part, exposing his pin-like teeth once more. "And I applaud you for that- it is certainly intriguing."

That is when a hushed yet sinister snicker erupted from one of the attendees. At first, it was a bit challenging to identify who they were. But the moment that Yuno caught the movement from the corner of her eye- a subtle yet creepy motion from a very thin man who wore a cape with a fur collar above it, was quite horrific. The cackling came from a figure who was also shrouded in shadows but judging by the outline of his figure alone Yuno could determine who it was. The person who stood before her was the same exact man that they killed yesterday; the female recognized him by the huge-eyeball like sphere over his head. It was Twelfth, the death that was brought on him yesterday was a lie- Yukki was right. But how...? He was met with a swarm of bullets yesterday that would put the last nail in the coffin for anyone. Taking in a sharp breath, Yuno tried her best to recollect herself and pass the thought off as another strange occurrence. After all, she was facing a skeletal god who was apparently hosting a game that, from what she heard, is morally wrong. The problem was that it was just so hard to believe…

The attention shifted to the man instantaneously though, it appeared that he did not notice though. Anything visual was useless to him- the only thing that he could use was sound. The lack of that caused the man to go off into a short tangent, praising himself for his good work. "I'll admit, I had a little bit of trouble with a few pests…" He spoke, his voice becoming increasingly proud and confident as if he was making a speech, "But I won't be stopped that easily. We will prevail." To this, the god let out a small hum. Giving the man a response was not the first thing on Deus's mind- his only idea was to continue on with his conversation with the group. There was something about the tone of the person's voice, though. It made the god want to say something- a few words to set a dreadful theme for his game.

"You are not the only one who has escaped a dead end flag.", the mighty god conceded as turned his view away from the overly-confident man. "Think of the ones that you attacked. They too did what you did. While it is a feat, yes, it is something that you all will have to attempt to do in order to live another day." The warning that he had just muttered was enough to send chills up, not just Yuno, but nearly everyone's spines. Their daily life would never be the same- in order to continue to live to see the future… See their friends, family… All of those things that can be attributed to going through life- they would need to fight if challenged. Yet a few contestants here and there did not know what a dead end flag was, and with good reason. They had not yet faced the bitter message; it would take just a bit longer for them to see it. It was inevitable, they would see it sometime. This is when the god decided to sit back in his throne just a little bit- propping his ancient arms on the armrests that stood on either side of him. It was time to give a description of what was going to happen, everyone was waiting on him to commence.

Nodding his mystical head, Deus braced himself for what would be a vivid explanation of what comes next. Not just for him, but for everyone around him. "Now. I would like to welcome you all to the survival game. I know that you may be thinking of it as a say…" He then trailed off as if he was trying to think of the most fitting word to use to describe their thoughts. It was as if he could not wrap his head around the idea of it being anything but positive. "A tragedy. But it is not- in fact, you are all blessed to be here." A few eyes were averted due to what he said- as if the others were taking the time to research their opponents. It intimidated Yuno, really. This was not a blessing in the slightest- if it was a gift the girl longed for it to be revoked. All that she wanted was to get away from this unpleasant situation and live life as normal. Of course, she did not recognize the gravity of the situation at hand. Actually, nobody who stood in the room seemed to be aware of what was truly happening under the surface.

Yes, the disagreement that many had with the god was noticeable. Yuno could practically feel the conflicts of opinion weighing down the atmosphere. However, there was something else that the girl noticed as Deus prepared to continue with his first meeting. It was unmistakable- there was a malevolent feel in the air. A few of the users across from Yuno- ones that she could not describe with their outline alone… They a glaring look in their eyes, as if they were eager to hear more and begin the hunt. Honestly, it set the mood of hopelessness even more than before. But as Deus spoke his next words, Yuno felt the feeling of dread grow more intense.

"You have been brought into a game where you may very well win my throne. But, now is not the proper time to dive into that part. Since everyone is now here, I believe that we can now speak about what is to come. Feel free to speak up if any questions are to surface, now is the best time to do as such." With that, Deus took in yet another deep breath and organized his thoughts. His game was not built upon a very complex basis, at least that stood in his mindset. It was as simple as cause and effect. That is what he planned to touch on first. "Firstly, let's begin with the newfound power that each of you were gifted with. The future is there within your fingertips- those diaries that you kept will now keep up with your future. This will last for ninety days, so please bear that in mind." Uttered the potent god. His description was to the point, no questions arose just yet. When Deus noticed that nobody misunderstood this bit of information, he decided to wrap it up with one last reminder before he moved on. "Ninety days- that is how many days that you have to seek each other out and end the game. I trust that you can do it- after all, you are already going for each other's necks." A twisted snicker slipped past his lips after he recognized that fact again. Gleeful was the one word that could be used to explain how Deus felt whenever he mentioned that he had collected a proper bunch of people for his idea, but for Yuno it was terrible. What did this mean? Were they all, except for one, going to die sometime in the next ninety days or less? Yes, that is exactly what it meant. Yuno, no matter how hard she attempted, could not grasp the thought of the "god" who ruled over their world being such a callous being.

Next, Deus decided to dig deeper into the components of the diaries that the twelve held. Holding his hand out a bit, the god urged others to take a look at the nearly omnipotent objects that they had in their possession once more. That they did, and that is when he allowed his voice to rumble over them once more. "As told, the diaries you possess tell the future. It is as simple as you think. When you perform an action, it can cause a chain reaction that could save or end your life…" And with that, the olden being let out a small hum. The concept was child's play to him, but to others, it would still most likely be difficult to process. So he chose to explicate his claim by giving a visual example. As if his reached far beyond any corner of every world that Deus watched over, he elevated his clawed fingers and some of the winding clouds that loomed above descended from the sky and rested in his palm. It was like magic- first, he clamped his thorny fingers around the soft puff of a cloud, then the outrageous happened. It seemed to solidify while being forced down by unseen pressures. The bizarre thing that used to be a mere cloud was being pulled at and molded like clay, and then came the weak flash that finalized the change that Deus put upon it. The clay-like material grew into a figure of a person- one who could walk on its own. A few of the users gasped in amazement- they were truly standing in front of a very fantastic being.

"Say that your life will be snuffed out in just an hour. Every action that you make is critical, it is what will cause you to escape the fate that you do not wish to have." From there, the white creation that Deus put together in front of everyone began to walk. The composure that it bore was quite confident- it was as if it was representing someone who was having a normal yet carefree day. It traveled across the atmosphere, walking on the air until it suddenly paused and shot back- it appeared to be startled. This is when a bullet like outline flew in from an area far beyond the meeting area, ripping into the mushy creation and reducing it to nothing but a shell. It fell into pieces, fading into the gentle breeze. Deus let his arm relax- it fell to his side with a small thud. "When you do not act against your fate then it is bound to happen. That is something that each and every one of you should be able to figure out- it is very clear."

His sharp eyes then drifted back to the circle- traveling across the ring as he finished his thought. "If you do decide to step up against your fate then the outcome will surely be different. Do everything in your power to escape it. It is as simple as that." Yet "simple" was not exactly a very good way to put it, at least that is what Yuno believed. Yes, the concept itself was something that many could grasp. But the people who Yuno was going to be forced to defend herself against certainly had something up their sleeves- they would surely keep the rules in mind and use it to their advantage. Pressure was a huge factor to the idea of this game, it seemed, and if an opponent could utilize that to disturb someone and cause them to lose their cool they would for sure. There was so much to think about, and this is when Yuno realized something. Some of the diaries that others here holding in their hands were not phones. This only made things more complicated- people could not look out for phones alone. They had to worry about other objects, for example, Yuno swore that she spotted someone who was hugging a large scroll to their chest.

Yuno was jerked away from her thinking as soon as Deus's voice resounded over the range again. "This idea is the embodiment of the survival game. Act before something that you do not wish to happens ultimately ends up happening. Avoid making yourself known- evade death and try to pave your way to victory." Like Yuno settled in her head- the business that they all shared with this god was morally wrong. He longed for them to go after each other; the only reason why they were given these diaries in the first place was to make their attacks on each other just a little bit more amusing. Really, no matter how much Yuno tried to justify everything that she was hearing- just to make herself feel better about it… Each attempt proved to be futile and that would not change. It was only expedited when Deus articulated five more chilling words. _"Kill before you are killed."_

Once his voice had lowered, the sky that blanketed the circle darkened. Wind whirled past every user who stood firmly on their pedestal as the clouds that lazily made laps around them began to shrink and tumble downwards towards Deus's throne. They attached themselves to one another, growing smaller and smaller until the same figure that had gotten shredded by the imaginary bullet came back. It continued to waddle around as it did before, but instead of showing a very upbeat attitude, it instead carried a far more negative one. It was careful, looking down at its miniature diary as it roamed across the air. Out of nowhere, it jumped and shook its fake head- and from there it took a full three-sixty on its heel and ran the opposite way, seemingly fleeing the scene that previously resulted in its destruction. A bullet did not show up- in fact, nothing happened. That is when the figure softened again, turning into a small mass of clouds once more and spreading into the brightening sky. The demonstration had no words- it did not need any. Every user understood what Deus was trying to convey, and that resulted in the ring staying completely silent.

Of course, poor Yuno was thinking about what she just witnessed too. But instead of allowing her mind to linger on the twisted aspect of the game, the female was instead thinking about something else. It went as such: Yuno had a life at home with her family- she was recovering from her dark past while recollecting her thoughts. Now, she would surely not get the time to do so. This was it- this was her life now. A lifestyle that consists of the constant fear of murder. Bitter words such as these swarmed Yuno's mind as she spaced out more and more. Unlike the others, she had already stored her diary in the safety of her purse. She had no desire to keep staring at the font that was pasted across the screen and with good reason. The power to have access to the future of someone who she still had trouble understanding was foreign to her- the girl did not want it any longer, much less did she want to have her fingertips on the future at all. All that she wanted was to go home and live her life- safe and sound with her beloved mother and father.

Negativity, negativity, negativity. So much of it was present within the boundaries of the meeting area. Between the users who surrounded Yuno and Yukki and Yuno herself- it practically oozed out of every corner and crevasse, making for a very unpleasant situation. It caused Yuno to fall victim to her thoughts so much that she barely noticed that her friend, Reisuke, had entered the display uninvited. He levitated above Yuno and the others after making his rounds, perching himself on Deus's shoulder with a grin. He looked to be fairly excited- his light red tail was twitching with delight as he turned his attention down towards everyone around him and his master. "You're right!" Chimed he, rudely awakening Yuno from her daze. "This is an interesting bunch ya' got here! Good choices everywhere if I do say so myself." This was followed by a shrill yet childish laugh that caused some of the people who were staring up at him to jump.

"Say, old man…" Reisuke began as he inched his way off of Deus's massive shoulder- the reason why he wanted to get away was apparent. The god was not very fond of being interrupted, especially during such a major time. He still had more to go over so that the contestants knew the gravity of the situation, but he could not due to the little visitor who would not keep his mouth shut. In result, he shot a glare Reisuke's way, one that made the little creature feel a bit on edge; enough to make him feel like he was forced to keep talking "Have you explained the prize? Come on, that'll be a kicker for all of these fine folks." To this, Deus shook his head with a creak from his neck trailing behind it. That settled what Reisuke was going to tell the underlings about next- it would be a bit awkward if he did not at this point. With a cheeky grin, Reisuke's mouth opened as he launched himself off of the olden god's skeletal shoulder.

He spread his arms out wide as he glided overhead- it was as if he intended to give a very majestic and extraordinary declaration of the prize- one that everyone's jaws would drop over instantly. "The one who strikes down everyone and climbs their way to the top gets to take over Deus's throne!" With that, he flicked his tail again which resulted in a subtle rattling noise. The proud creature put his puppets high above him and waved their little arms with his pinkie finger and index finger as he bubbled, "on top of getting to mold the world in any way that you'd like and choosing what will happen to everyone who resides in it… You also get to become the master of such a cool boy, me!" With that, the boy struggled to hold back his laughter. He was just so excited to finally get to talk to everyone at once. It was wonderful in his lively green eyes, but unfortunately for him, he did not receive the reactions that he wanted- he was greeted to yet another eerie silence from the crowd.

What was unfolding was not favorable in Deus's opinion, though. He was being interrupted at a prime time- one that may or may not determine how future events played out. In result, Deus merely passed off what Reisuke said and replaced it with his own formal explanation, also smoothly transitioning back to the main subject. "Yes, he is speaking of the truth. The one who perseveres and is crowned victor will have the chance to take my throne. That is your goal- I do hope that you find it compelling enough." This is where Reisuke popped in, smirking and exposing a personality that Yuno had not seen from him. It was genuinely happy about what was going down and it too found pleasure in the idea of everyone in the ring fighting to the death. "I mean, y'don't really have a choice in the matter. You're going to be a part of the game whether you like it or not. Fun stuff!", chirped Reisuke as he allowed his tail to sway to some sort of beat that he came up with in his head. At last, Deus grew tired of his witty comments and decided to set the little creature aside. Slowly, he grasped him by the end of his tail and flicked his arm aside, sending Reisuke soaring backward- away from Deus. He was still within the premises of the meeting, but he understood the memo that he was given; he was told to stop.

Deus then analyzed the crowd, looking for any signs of life other than the staring. It was quiet, and the ancient god was not very sure if he liked that or not. This passed over for just a few more seconds until a voice tore through the silence like a knife through soft and fragile skin. Just like a wound, it would cause something to bleed out- surely the speaker would regret the risk that they took. "I understand everything that you said, but... " The figure began as he brushed a bit of his messy hair out the way of his eyes. "You failed to mention other aspects of the future- like what if the future changes on its own?" His knowledge of the situation was overt; it was enough to score a hushed yet entertained hum from the god who loomed above the contestants. Yuno knew who was speaking as soon as their voice met her ears- yet she turned her attention to him just to assure that it was true. The moment her pink eyes met the unveiled boy, Yuno could not stop her heart from dropping. Yukiteru was seriously challenging the god and time and space, questioning the validity of what was voiced by him.

"Oh…?" The tested god began to query the boy who practically dug his feet into the ground and stared at him in a bold manner. Little by little, Deus got up from his throne and practically jabbed his unnerving face close to Yukki. He towered over the thin and short body of the male- despite these circumstances though, Yukki puffed out his chest and waited for Deus's full statement to his daring question. "I see. I knew that you would be the one to break the stillness, First.", remarked the incredible being as he looked at the boy. It was as if he was looking straight through him and yet Yukki did not allow any signs of fear to slip past him. Instead, Yukki gave an unforeseen grin as he stared into Deus's eyes. There was no flinching, hesitation, or anything along those lines. Taking in a quick breath, Yukki answered Deus.

"You know me very well- of course I would be the one to break it."

In reaction to the expression that was just murmured by the male, Deus seemed to raise his nearly nonexistent eyebrow. It was as if Yukki said something incorrectly and the god could not recognize what caused it. That did not put a stop to their conversation though. No, it was furthered the moment that the god formulated a proper response, which was fairly quick considering his initial reaction. "Of course. I do know you, and I am anticipating that you will perform very well in this little game of mine."

This exchange of words, though it did not seem like much other than an example of the friendliness shared by the god and the boy, was much more than it was on the surface. It was the heat that melted and shattered the ice that had crystalized over the ring of contestants. They had already started to become agitated as the basic rules of the game were articulated to them, but the praise that was given to Yukiteru seemed to make a few users reach their boiling points. Some of them did not feel very comfortable with the idea of Deus leaning towards one user and one user alone, and that bit of anxiety was stirred up even more when the beliefs of the god were disclosed to all of them. "I believe that you may be the one to win, First." Confessed Deus as he settled back into his throne with a prompt sigh of relaxation. Nothing else was said to attempt to describe what he said even more. None- it was left at that. Deus did not comment on his question and there were no other words from there. Not only did this make Yuno feel uneasy, but it even seemed to irritate Yukki. Gritting his teeth, the boy propped himself forward and prepared to demand an answer- but his idea was cut off almost instantly by yet another voice.

It was unheard of- a bit raspy yet high pitched. There was a tone of pure kindness hidden behind the cruelness that jutted out- it was almost as if the woman who chose to spoke had a beautiful voice that she continuously strained. Over and over, time and time again until her throat closed in and her voice grew ugly. The abrupt change in sound caused Yuno's eyes to go from her ally to the outline of one of the contestants. She was oddly shaped, to say the least. Her head was barren- the only thing that stuck out were a few strands of dark hair here and there. The head that was on her barely visible neck looked disproportionate, to say the least- and her body was yet another story. In all, she looked like a character that Yuno would have seen in one of her childhood storybooks. The person folded their arms over their chest as they crudely snarled, "what's all the hubbub about this kid, eh? You went out of your way to call us an interesting bunch and yet you clearly lean towards one boy. Talk about unwelcoming and rude." Ironically, her words called out Yukiteru and Deus as meanwhile her appearance, even with the veil on, practically screamed it.

Wonderful, the "ice" that was previously mentioned has cracked into pieces that were no longer visible. They melted, breaking the barriers that were set between the users. A few of them were ready to start uproars while the others wanted nothing more than to stay silent. The next voice rang out from a pedestal that was a little bit left of the woman who just chose to spoke. It was another girl who appeared to be far more young than the one who started this disaster. She sat on the ground patiently with a scroll-like object kept close to her chest. The way that she went about presenting herself was far more sophisticated than the last- and that was especially present when she opened her mouth. "It is a bit on the bothersome side, yes. But that is bound to happen. We are dealing with a god- he will clearly have his wager." What she said was fair and wise, but something about how she twitched a little bit towards the end of her final sentence gave Yuno a very bad feeling- it was as if there was something that was buried under her skin. Something that hurt her very much and made her convulse as she did.

Even with those two things said, the conversation did not dissipate. Against what Yuno thought would happen, the topic began to swerve out of control and bring in multiple users- causing a bit of an argument. And it was all because of Yukiteru- he could not hold himself back when others opened their mouth like that. With fisted hands, the boy tried to stand his ground and intimidate the others. "You're right, and I'm the one who earned the bet." Was all that he responded as he stared in the direction of the scroll-wielding woman initially. However, when the male shifted his gaze to the girl who stood to the left of him he felt an immense amount of mixed feelings poke at his heart. Part of him wanted to say something about her and the other knew that it was very wrong. But at last, it came to be far too much for him to keep to himself. In result, he blurted something that made the meeting devolve into even more of a disaster. "And plus. If anyone else were to be leaned towards, it would not be any of you." To that, Yuno's body jolted. Oh no, Yukki was actually bringing her to light in the middle of this catastrophe. Her senses, the split second that it happened, were heightened to a very high amount. Moving left and then right, her view frisked each and every person. Their expressions, body language, all of that… She did not want others to question who she was or target her, but all of that was set aside when Reisuke decided to make his way into the scene once again. Little did Yuno know that he would end up making the situation a living hell for her. As he toyed with his puppets, Reisuke wagged his ringed tail and boastfully announced, "If we're pickin' sides, then Yukiteru definitely has a point! Second is the way to go."

Mumbles could be heard throughout the users- it seemed like they were in disbelief over what was happening. It was not that they were not at the top of the game- it was more based around the idea that Yuno and Yukki were complete and utter threats to their lives. If the two top-ranked members of the world, also known as the survival game's organizers, chose to mention these two instead of going on about the rules just a little bit more… It must mean trouble, surely. This strong feeling of uncertainty split off into two sides- those who still feared them and those who wished to test them. This division that was just created was displayed when a woman standing in between the rude woman and the one with the scroll in her grasp decided to pep in. "I see, I see! So this game is going to become fairly intense- especially if we have a few 'monsters' standing in our way." And with that, the girl slipped her diary into her pocket and exchanged it with an item that was shaped like a thick line. She spun it in her hand with ease while throwing it up into the air a few times, showing her efficient hand-eye coordination. "I expected as much."

A bubbly voice erupted from a pedestal that was almost directly across from Yukiteru. The little girl who stood in the middle of it seemed to be the size of a mere child- it was a struggle to determine how young she truly was. But she, despite her age, seemed to be just as absorbed in the game as the last speaker. Letting a chuckle escape her lips, the girl smoothed her very long hair out the way of her face and started. "I'm honestly pretty glad to have been selected now that I think about it." The child-like being spoke as she brazenly put her arms on her sides, exhibiting her overflowing spirit. "At first it was a little, y'know. Ehh is the way to put it…" She jokingly effused as her little legs began to grow less and less still. By the end of her words, she was practically jumping left and right. Her energy seemed to be never ending- it was definitely a sight to see. "But now I get it! It's just a game- a far more realistic one that we'll all have a blast with!"

It was scary to see some nods come from the veiled figures spread around the meeting area. Their thoughts were finally beginning to settle down and they were all leaning towards the pro-survival game side. Yuno, no matter how much she tried, could not see and upside to any of this. The pressure in her chest built up so much that she could not help the outburst that followed- it was something about what the little girl said that shook Yuno to the core. She clamped her eyes shut, which the others could not see, and mustered the strength to give her input. "I honestly don't see how anyone could support this. It's just so inhumane and unthinkable." Following that, Yuno's shoulders began to feel tenser, and not long after that, she noticed how stiff her body was. Her heart was pounding against her chest- it was something about conversing with the group of people who would be after your life once the meeting is adjourned. "I wish that one of you would just explain it to me… How c-could you possibly-" It was not very surprising, but Yuno was crudely cut off by the misshapen woman. She extended her arm past her body and jabbed a finger in the nervous girl's direction.

"Aren't you supposed to be the threatening one who is quite literally on the top of the game right now? What gives you the right to complain about anything?"

That was the last straw for Yukki- he could not stand the concept of the contestants swapping words that struck fear into the heart of his beloved. Now someone was coming out and attacking her verbally, trying to put her in the wrong and make her feel bad through a lame excuse of a guilt trip. Yukki stepped forward, practically standing at the edge of the area of land below him and his own breaking point. It was as if a wall was suddenly put between an object that was hurled at the aggressive woman's face though because a tall yet slender man who bore fairly long hair whispered to the raging boy. His words were very soft yet held a lot of meaning behind them that caused the male's body to freeze up. "Don't- she is distressed as it is." Said the man. It was as if he had the power to identify how she felt through her tone and body alone, which was a wonder in itself. Yukiteru squinted his eyes at the figure- what gave him the right to intervene like that? Nevertheless, there was a section of Yukki's mind that knew that he was right. He was being far too reckless and handling the situation horribly- it was best to hold himself back and let the others talk to each other rather than interrupt and bring more attention towards the two. So, he took a few steps backward and tried his best to get his body to loosen up.

It was evident that the man's warning ended up being very helpful. Yuno did not grace the boorish woman with a response, which caused her to huff and cross her arms once more. She acted as if her patience was being tested by the two kids, and yes, there was no hesitation from her when it came to showing that. The conversation could have dragged on longer, but Deus cut in before any more insults or crude words could be tossed. Tapping his barb-like fingertips on the armrests of his throne, Deus carefully told the group, "I see that you are beginning to become acquainted with each other. But I must ask this; are there any questions?"

That inquiry sat upon everyone's shoulders for a moment- this was their chance to speak their mind and have any curiosities that they had soothed. As expected, Yuno had various questions about the game but they were surely not what Deus was looking for. He was on the topic of the diaries and the game itself, not its morals. If the girl were to try to voice her concerns about how immoral this entire set up was, being laughed at would be practically unavoidable. So she kept her lips sealed and proceeded to look left and right to see if any other users were planning to say something. There was a brief stillness in the air, and then a female who had very long and messy hair that traveled down her back killed the calmness that stemmed from Deus's previous words. Her voice was quite loud and yet it flaunted a courageous and snarky tone to it.

"Yeah, I do have a question for you!" She began as she put her arms on her hips, very clearly emphasizing her impatience. "That boy asked you something important- something that I think all of us should know, and yet you acted like it wasn't even said. Mind telling us the answer now?" As strange as it was, something about the woman who was currently talking to the olden god made her appear a bit friendly. Yes, her sarcasm was as clear as day- but the way that she stood up to the legendary being with no distinct feeling of dread made Yuno feel some sort of respect for her. Yukiteru did the same thing but how he treated it was very unnecessary- he was far too reckless and it ended up making the two look very bad in front of everyone. Though, the girl did he very best to forget that the situation turned into that mess just a few minutes ago. Anyways, she refocused on the matter at hand- listening closely for the response that they all were looking for.

"Ah yes." Deus nodded, "it is just another part of cause and effect." He did not even grace it with a visual demonstration or anything of that sort- that would be considered overboard by him and every person who stood before him. Deus instead decided to convey what he meant through a meager explanation. "Think about it- others who have access to the future will act on their own free will. Any sudden changes in the future, whether performed by you or not, will change it." It was not too surprising, really- Yuno was able to assume what the result of that question would be. It sounded like most of this game was common sense and that is why Yuno lacked any thoughts about the base of the game. As said, she was too busy worrying about the game's morality. Although Yuno was not worried about the structure itself, a few others certainly were. A new voice turned up from the left of Yuno- he was fairly close to her which made her feel just a little bit more unnerved. His tone, when put against everyone else's, was far more serious and chilling to the core. It just demonstrated how frightening the situation was- and Yuno knew that all of these people could very well go after her life and off her for godhood.

The tall yet slim male only asked one thing and one thing alone- there was no more, no less. "So in all, the goal is to kill each other for your throne?" It was elementary at this point, truly. But the way in which he spoke those words made his seriousness apparent- it was something that he was genuinely wondering. Deus gave him what he was looking for fairly swiftly, bobbing his head as a nod and grumbling "yes, that is what you will have to do in order to live." That was yet another grim reminder to poor Yuno- this was all real and she would be put in the middle of it. The statement that was just made did not just apply to the man, but everyone including her. Really, she was thinking far more than she was acting during this meeting- it made it feel like it would never ever end. She experienced nothing but pure, unadulterated dread through the entire opening to the game. Unquestionably, Yuno did not want to let this negativity to affect how she treated others at all- but it was so hard to keep it that way. She did not want to appear to be weak and scared in front of others; that was not how she dealt with it when it came to her past abuse and that is not how she would deal with it now. But Yuno felt a severe amount of distrust welling up in her chest, and that just intensified when she saw the man who had just been answered snicker at the thought. He was entertained, just like nearly every other user. It was absolutely sickening.

With this said, Reisuke leaped into the middle of the meeting arena once again, smiling wide as he waddled up onto Deus's shoulder. They exchanged words, muttering to each other about something that nobody could understand. At this point, Yuno was so mentally drained that she did not even bother to linger on what it could possibly be. Reisuke, once he had finished conversing with the ancient god, hopped off of his shoulder and hovered above everyone else with a huge grin. It did not display innocence- no, it was on the edge of insanity. He let out another laugh as he curiously asked everyone, "so tell me! What do you guys think? By the looks on some of your faces, I can tell that you're pretty excited." His tail swished back and forth as the rings on them rattled, bringing life to the situation once more. This resulted in a few whispers being shared- the users were now talking in between themselves as if they were growing comfortable with the situation. Once that was said and done, the little child from before raised her arms and practically jumped around on her stand. "I love it, of course! I was really bored so it's timed pretty perfectly!" Chimed the girl in an enthusiastic manner. Magnificient, what seemed to be a child was up to the task of killing someone due to boredom. Yuno expected the words from the thrilled child to bounce off of everyone and dissipate within thin air, but it was far more motivating to others than she thought.

Whispers from before began to climb in volume as the contestants grew more and more passionate about the "gift" that they were given. What was once a collection of mumbles had evolved into a set of cheers- this caused the female's heart to practically skip out of beat for just a moment. They were encouraging the idea that the deity had as if it was a breakthrough, which managed to baffle the girl even more. This overflow of alacrity stuck around for a few minutes until someone cut everyone off. His voice was raised far more than before and rage had taken its toll on his composure. There was something about what was going down that made his boiling point's cap fly off- now it was going to erupt in the form of scathing words. How he usually sounded was out the window- the thoughts that he opened his mouth to talk about flaunted a much more harsh tone. "You all act like this game is some sort of present given to you from god- it should be obvious by now!" Yelled the enraged male as all of the eyes around him stayed pasted in his direction. "It's… going to be hell! You're all cheering over the fact that you're going to suffer- all for Deus's entertainment." The fluentness that he showed as he expanded on his feelings was apparent- it made it seem like Yukiteru really knew what he was talking about. Ardent, that was the proper way to put his behavior. He did not receive the reaction that he hoped for, though. Instead of getting the others to turn their nose up towards the survival game, all that Yukki ended up doing was throwing gasoline into the fire. It only grew as Deus, the one who could put an end to it with ease, watched carefully with a toothy grin.

"Entertaining as always, First…" Complimented Deus as he slightly stretched his aged body in his throne. "You were always so different from everyone else, and I can see that even here you bear the same trait. That uniqueness that you grasp is what may bring you to the end of the survival game alive." Ouch, now the attention was brought towards Yukiteru again. This was even worse for him since he was the only one who was fully visible to everyone; they could effortlessly detect Yukiteru in the city and plot to kill him since they knew exactly what he looked like. With all of this pressure on his shoulders, one would believe that he would be very scared- yet he was not. He still kept the same attitude as before- a keeping puffed out chest while he faced what was glaring at him. While he was the one that everyone was concentrating on, Reisuke broke in once again to spill the truth that was his opinion. "Unique? Like I said- Second is the way to go.", said he as he pushed himself over to the nervous girl. Sitting on her shoulder and wrapping his long tail around her, the boy smirked and exclaimed, "look out! This is the real threat that you'll have to look out for. She packs a real mean combination of skills." As he continued to praise Yuno over and over, the female tried to shush him but to no avail. He kept going until Yukki finally snarled and forced the energetic creature to cease with his kind words.

"Stop it!", growled the exasperated male who has clearly had enough of all of the things that have been said amidst this meeting. "We're normal users just like everyone else here- we shouldn't be set apart like this." He then stopped, noticing that he made a mistake in his words. Yukiteru knew very well that they could be set apart from the others- yes, they were different. Different in a good way, though. They did not support the game and view it as some sort of blessing. Due to this conclusion, Yukki shook his head and continued, "no. We are different- we aren't complete idiots like everyone else!" Talk about a lame insult, a mistake on Yukiteru's part for sure. The accidental ignorance that he made visible got on a certain someone's last nerve, which set the scene for an argument. Anyone who had a brain could make out that the area became a warzone- with the insults that Yukiteru kept flailing at others and the boiling points of others… It made for a horrible mix that set up for this circumstance.

Of course, Deus knew very well what was going on and decided that this was the best way to leave everyone off. He managed to do something that he did not expect to achieve in his first meeting with everyone- stir up hatred and encourage fighting to the death. He believed that everyone would remain silent and the meeting would go from there. It was nice in his eyes; much less work had to be done on his part- he could simply sit back and watch the chaos unfold. Letting in a long breath, the god called everyone's attention back to him as he stood up from his throne, spreading his arms. "I do believe that this concludes the informational part of our meeting." Declared the ancient deity as the same thorny grin stayed put on his visage. "It was made quite easy for me, which causes me to stay by what I said in the beginning. You are certainly an interesting bunch and I look forward to seeing what you are capable of." As he sat down, relaxing his body that seemed to be on the edge of cracking into many pieces, Deus let out two final phrases that he knew that he would use to push the importance of self-defense and violence in his game. "Kill before you are killed, utilize your diaries and avoid dead end flags at all costs. You are the ones who possess the power of the future and the power to determine if you will live to see another day or not."

At that moment, the strangely proportioned woman jutted her finger out at the boy who had been arguing with the group earlier. It went from him to Yuno, and then back to him in a fit of her anger. "You two. I'm going to make sure that you two die first. We have no room for immature brats, and I will be the one to fix that- mark my words." With that, she bowed her head and looked up at the god politely- it was as if she had switched personalities on the spot. It was not completely, no, there was still a touch of bitterness in her tone. But she spoke to the god in a far more gentle tone, as if she would do anything in her power to avoid being rude towards him. "The meeting is over, right? I need to head back as soon as possible." To that, the god nodded which caused the woman to let out a small "thank you". From there, she lowered her head a bit more as light shot up from her pedestal, engulfing her and ripping her out of the world that she had been standing in. In just a few seconds, all that was left of her was a few bits of sparkling dust.

Her exit caused a bit of a chain reaction as some people began to leave without a word- all that they wanted to do was get out of there and get home. The man who had warned Yukki to not speak up was the second one to go, followed by the girl who had been hugging the scroll to her chest the entire time. The figure of what seemed to be an old man in a baggy robe was the next to leave. Throughout the entire meeting, not even a small peep left his lips. His head was directed towards the ground the entire time as chaos ensued. He was followed by someone who seemed to be another older man. Yuno remembered seeing him talk here and there to the person next to him but other than that he did not dare to say a thing. That was the end of those who decided to dip as soon as they could- as for everyone else, they stayed to talk just a little bit while the meeting was slowly stopping and coming to a close. Deus had even made his exit, pushing his body further into his throne and vanishing as he muttered about the meeting's end. It was over in theory, but that did not mark the end in stone.

The person who had been standing somewhat close to Yuno took in a hiss of a breath as he shook his head, stepping off of his section of the ring and heading over to someone else. Yuno was thankful that he did not walk in her direction, nor did anyone else. All that Yuno did was simply stand there and listen in on what the remaining five were saying. Though, one of them did take the time to converse with anyone- this happened to be the girl who had been spinning something linear in her hand earlier. From the looks of it, she was quite skilled and knew how to go about the situation. The veil shrouded her face to the point where Yuno could not make out what her expression was, but from the looks of it she was analyzing those who stayed behind for a few more moments. Once she was done, it did not take very long for her to up and leave on her own. The child, who was previously staring in the keen girl's direction, seemed to grow bored once she left the scene. Appearing to avert their eyes, the kid spun and tried to call Reisuke over, only to be greeted to silence. Strangely, Reisuke also fled the scene as soon as the meeting had its unofficial ending. This resulted in the child giving in and leaving, but that was not done before she looked over to Yuno and called out to her. "Hey! Y'better be scared because I'm going to be the first one to kill you two! Just watch me." One could say that she enunciated this in a joking tone, but the female could tell that it was far more than that. It was yet another blow to her chest- a reminder that she was now a moving target for these people.

Her attention was then turned back to the tallest contestant who had stepped off of his panel close to Yuno and made his way over to someone else. He was speaking to Twelfth which baffled her. That must have meant that they knew each other at least a little bit- otherwise they would not bother with any sort of communication. This concerned Yuno immensely- others were already starting to bunch up and form teams that could potentially become unfair to her. Negative thoughts began to take over her mind once again as she smoothed her long, but covered pink hair out of her face. Spaced out was the only way to put the state that she was in at the moment, but she was quickly taken out when she felt a sudden pat on her shoulder. When she looked over, Yuno had mentally bet that it was Yukiteru, but it was not. It was the woman who she viewed as somewhat inspiring earlier- the one who demanded that Deus answer Yukki's question for everyone to hear. It was impossible to tell anything other than what her outline looked like, even this up close. But under her veil, the woman was edging on a smile.

"Hey. I'm not really to say sappy things like this, but I saw how the others kept talking bad on you and the other kid." She began, taking her hand off of Yuno's shoulder. "Now, I'm not going to make any promises. If I find you and hurt you, that's just what happens. But I'll tell you this, and I hope that it helps you at least a little bit." And with that, the woman took in a long and calm breath as she walked back and faced slightly trembling girl. "Survive. Both of you." As quickly as she came to Yuno's side to give her some sort of support, she left. When she stepped away, the woman did not grace the other two with so much as a look- it seemed like she was only concerned about the two who had been bashed on by the very rude user. Taking her time, the woman walked to her part of the circle and put her head down, allowing the light to shoot up and take her away without so much as a trace left over.

Yuno would have continued to think about what just happened a bit longer- who that was and why she even bothered to come over and give some sort of mental aid to someone who she was supposed to be fighting to the death. But something came up that kicked the thought away- that woman had pointed out that Yukiteru was no longer there. Yuno thought that he had just walked to another part of the meeting area, but no. He was gone- in fact, it appeared that he had exited the scene a bit ago. To this, Yuno felt a strange amount of anger well up in her chest. It has been said many times: the girl wanted to stay as friendly with her ally as she possibly could. Yukki was unnerving at times and even made a situation feel far more hopeless due to how extreme he was, or sometimes his solutions were just poor like earlier. This time, though, he really messed up and put the spotlight on both of them. Now the other contestants had them in their minds- they knew Yuno by her figure and could most likely figure out who she was with ease. As for Yukki, it was futile to even try to survive- they knew exactly what he looked like and could come from any angle. He dug both of their graves, truly. Due to that, Yuno felt herself growing distrustful of the boy. There was a part of her that wanted to stay by his side, but the other part wanted to yell at him and tell him that she could do her best on her own. It was hard to decide how to go about the situation but she surely had time to think about what was best. After all, he had wandered off to another location anyways. Who knew where he was? Sighing and shaking her head, Yuno prepared herself to go home.

As she lowered her gaze, the same bright light traveled up her body starting with her legs. It went further, giving off a gust of wind as it reached her arms. The teleportation to her house was going smoothly until she heard a deep voice say something to her from a distance. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that the tall user was looking straight at her while seemingly smoking a cigarette. Taking in a breath and then exhaling a massive amount of smoke, the figure repeated itself. "You two are first.", was all that she heard while she was whisked away from the world. The way back home could not be described- it went so fast that Yuno swore that all she did was blink and wake up on her hardwood floor in her room. Her hair was a mess and her cheek was all red- it seemed like she had collapsed on the spot. When thinking about that, the girl was suddenly reminded of the situation that broke out earlier with all of the hypnotized watchers. Quickly, Yuno turned on her heel and ran to her window- looking outside. There was no damage on her fences, no nothing. It was silent like every other day. Not even a plant in the garden was ruined. Yuno raised an eyebrow at this, but shrugged it off. She was just so tired from what happened- all that she longed for at the moment was to get some shut-eye. So the girl dragged herself to her bed and lazily took the puppet-making container off of her bed- simply placing it on the floor and sliding it under so it could not be seen. Letting out a loud huff, Yuno threw herself onto her soft bed and tried to lull herself to sleep. There were no further complications- no diary shifts and no texts from Yukki. Yuno was able to sleep in peace, even if it was very hard to with all that was on her mind.

* * *

_…_

* * *

_The two met up in a dark home, one that was currently unidentifiable. Sitting on the bed by the window was the boy- he was so set on watching the stars overhead that he managed to forget why he even came here. Their beauty always ripped him away from the matter at hand; it reminded him of a better time that he wished that he could return to. Allowing a sigh to roll past his lips, the male turned his attention to the other person who was in the same room as him._

_It started at him with wide and fearful eyes, as if it was afraid that it would face a painful wound or, even worse, death if it said a word. But at last, the boy who sat over him uttered a single sentence. _

_"I don't understand why you acted like that…" He said as he wrapped his blanket around his shoulder blades snugly. "I told you time and time again- don't mess this up. And you did. Now everything is much harder; it's all because of you." _

_To this, the figure that sat on the floor curled up as if it was getting more concerned about being lashed out at. Shaking, it responded, "I'm sorry but… I can't keep following through with your plans like this. I'm going to get caught and then he isn't going to be happy with me." His voice then trailed off as he gently tapped his fingers against the solid floor. "The last thing I want is to be banished… And as much as I want to listen to you and make you happy, I can't. I won't allow myself to get put into so much trouble over a threat." _

_In response, the boy on the bed stood up and raised his arms above his head as if he was thinking about lunging at the being that rested beneath him. They stayed where they were for a moment- frozen like a scorpion that was ready to stab into its weak prey. But, after a moment, they sluggishly drooped to his sides. The blanket that was wrapped around them followed, lazily falling onto his head of hair. His voice, instead of being forceful, was lowered- it resembled a deep snarl that would send a chill up anyone's spine, no matter how brave. "If you really want to be that way… I'll make sure that you regret your choice. This is supposed to be my thing- you know exactly what is going on."_

_The figure on the ground stood up and stepped away from the boy who was planted on the bed. He did not go too far, but it was enough to give him a few seconds to turn and get out of there if he tried anything funny. Mustering all of the courage that he could, the thing continued to speak. "I know that you view yourself as a miracle-bringer, and I will not talk against that. You never told me why you say that- you said that you just know that you have the power to do so. But so far, from what I've seen… You've only been able to muster miracles because of my help. Everything that has saved her is because of me, not you."_

_Tapping his fingers together impatiently, the boy answered the being with a sharp, "I can do everything on my own. I don't need your help- it just makes things easier. Why can't you just behave and work with me? It makes no sense…" With this, the boy covered himself in the blanket tightly. It resembled a cloak, but it was challenging to see in the dark atmosphere of the room that he resided in._

_"Prove it to me, then." Said the figure as it turned away from the boy. Clearly, it planned to take its leave as soon as it was done talking. "If you're so prone to miracles, show her that. Prove me wrong and show the world how amazing you are. If you can, that is." With that, the being let out a shrill laugh as it claimed something that it would regret if it was normal. "I don't think that you can do it though! After all, I've seen you. You take on the personality of a different person when you're here- you're always crying. Better make sure that you don't let her see or your cover will be blown. Bye, and good luck." _

_In that moment, the boy had every intention to lash out and try to choke the life out of the thing that stood before him. It was angering him- at this point he wanted it gone and for him to have the chance to be alone to reflect on everything that happened. Instead of showing that, the boy gritted his teeth and whispered a pained sentence. "I'll make sure that she never sees me like that. Ever." He swore… No matter what happened- no matter how wrong things end up going. She would never see him break down and cry. That would be saved for his own personal time- or so he thought. There was no estimate as to how long he would be able to hold himself together enough to keep that side of him intact. One that he knows very well but nobody else knows… His short-term wish was granted though- the figure had left the room and he was now left alone. The only thing that he could hear was the gentle chirp of crickets outside his window. _

* * *

**Reisuke's Super-Mega Fun After Chapter!**

**Entry 1: .:Rude Awakening:.**

* * *

The camera was set up perfectly over a local park in Sakurami City- it was stable enough to begin the little creature's amazing "talk show". At least, that's how he wanted to refer to it. Popping up from the bottom of the screen, Reisuke grinned wide and rattled his tail, waving to the audience. "Heya all of you fine folks!" He began as he struck a goofy pose- furthering the theme that he wanted to have with this little idea that he came up with due to boredom. He then got closer to the camera, shaking it to emphasize how things would work around here. "This is a bit informal since y'know… This is the first entry! I just want to give y'all an example of how this works." And with that, Reisuke waved his hand and a whiteboard showed up within the camera's range. He waddled over to it and grabbed a marker and a stick. From there, he sloppily wrote on it in Japanese. It was intelligible, but at least he would explain it. Or at least, we can hope that he does.

Slamming the thin stick into the board, Reisuke let out a puff of air and announced, "this is my talk show! For simplicity, let's call it the… Reisuke's Super-Mega Fun After Chapter." His voice had drifted off into nothing at first, signifying that he formulated that name on the spot. Wanting to keep any sort of professional composure that he had visible, Reisuke coughed and shifted the stick downwards. He was acting like a teacher, but at least he was having a blast, right? "These will be far more fun in the future, trust me. I just need to set up a lame basis so we know how it works. So I'll be interviewing multiple people throughout these segments and… I don't know, considering how loony these people are some things are bound to happen and-" The creature's voice then stopped completely as the camera moved back and forth. Someone was behind it, messing with the tripod that held it up. Reisuke's face contorted into that of pure annoyance as he swiftly yelled, "Yunocchi! I told you not to mess with the hecking camera. So why are you…"

Yuno let out a sigh and waved off the problem with a simple excuse. "The lens cap was on- if I didn't take it off then this would have been for nothing." Reisuke was not sure if he should bother believing her or not- the last thing that he wanted was to appear foolish. His mind told him to speak up against her and prove her wrong, but the other always wanted to be kind to her. In the heat of the moment, the boy dropped the stick- which yes, he was holding it with his puppets on his hands- and snapped it in half. When Yuno went to ask what was wrong, Reisuke growled, "don't you dare take that lens cap off. This is my talk show, and you're going to be the first person that I interview!" With that, he soothed his voice and made it as calm and cheerful as usual. "So Yuno… What do YOU think of the survival game? C'mon, be honest."

Twirling her hair around her finger, Yuno thought about it a bit. She knew her answer, and without much hesitation, she responded, "It's wrong. It really is. The idea of going after people and killing them just for a stupid title is really-" As she spoke, the crude creature let out an obnoxious yawn as he opened his mouth. "Boring!" Remarked he. "This is showbiz- we don't have time for such dull words. C'mon- get creative! Tell me how fantastic it is- how cool Reisuke is!" To that, Yuno squinted her eyes. "You just told me to be hones-" She tried to explain herself, but Reisuke put his hand over her mouth and let out a loud, "up bup bup! No more talking, you're fired!" Gently, Yuno removed him from her and let out an irritated breath. "If I'm not interesting, would you like me to get someone else to take my place?"

Reisuke's green eyes lit up as soon as she spoke of the idea. Flicking his tail left and right, he quickly responded, "yes, yes! Who do you have in mind? Tell me, tell me!" Geez, he acted like a child. Maybe that was because he practically was one. Anyways, Yuno reached for the camera and turned off the recording by pressing the button on the top. She then took out her flip phone, and as she did it kept vibrating every thirty seconds or so. Reisuke cocked his head. "I thought that the sound was just an alarm that you forgot to turn off…" Admitted he. "I didn't want to ask what or who it is-"

He then realized how dumb that statement was. Everyone knew who it was just by looking at Yuno's face as she scrolled through text after text after text. It was never ending- to the point where Yuno eventually decided to throw in the towel. Growing a bit nervous, Reisuke asked who it was. The girl turned to him, scrunched her eyes, and turned back to her phone to type. The answer was now extremely clear, and as soon as Reisuke concluded it he tried to snatch the phone away from Yuno. "No, please don't call him! He's so creepy a-and-" He kept going on as he was wrestled back by Yuno. When she finally removed him, the female averted her eyes and warned him. "He's coming already."

Reisuke's tail fell to the ground as soon as she said that- now his life was similar to a horror game. He had no idea where he would be and when he would come within listening range. Either way, if he just left his house, Reisuke knew that it would take quite a bit to get to the local park that the talk show was set up in. So, taking in a lot of courage, Reisuke turned back to Yuno and went on. "Your fire slip was revoked. I'm going to ask you one more question, Yunocchi." As Yuno raised her eyebrow, Reisuke finally caught that he was not being nearly professional enough. So he coughed once more and corrected himself. "I mean, Gasai Yuno."

At that moment, they both felt a very dreadful presence behind them. A hand touched each of their shoulders as a head peeked itself out between both of their heads. This resulted in the two practically screeching internally- or dying inside, perce.

"What about 'Gasai Yuno'?" Questioned the creepy boy as his hot breath danced down both of their necks. They shot back, turned and looked at the boy who so happened to be Yukiteru. He smiled and waved, but as soon as he closed his eyes for just a few seconds the two were gone.

"Y-Yuno…?" He went on quietly, looking over the entire park for a trace of them. "W-What about the talk sh-"

Yukki was then cut off by a familiar voice that came from overhead. His tail was wrapped around Yuno, holding her by the waist with all of its strength. In the other hand, he held the camera and tripod- his entire setup was going with him. As Yukki watched in disbelief, Reisuke promptly blurted: "It's been postponed to next week! See you then!"

But it did not end that easily for poor Reisuke- the enraged boy chased him and demanded that Reisuke put the girl down safely. This only resulted in him flying faster and further- he knew very well if he did not escape then he would regret it immensely. Let us just leave it at that though- Reisuke can clean up his own mess… He did it to himself, let's be honest.

* * *

_"Mirai Nikki", also known as "The Future Diary" was written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. None of the characters in this fanfiction belong to me, obviously. They are simply altered to change up the story._


	6. Dewdrop

Everything was beginning to get so complicated for Yuno- things that she used to do with ease did not come so easily anymore. One of those things was sleeping, the poor girl's sleep schedule was far out of line for people her age. What time did Yuno even fall asleep…? Waking up was not pleasant to her at all either- her neck ached and her head suffered through the type of headache that you get when you first open your eyes. As for her thoughts, yes, those were also thrown into the mix. To think that just a month or two ago the girl would have been waking up from an amazing sleep and heading off to school with barely any concerns in her mind. Yuno already missed those times- it was hard to think about them without feeling a strong wave of negativity come over her. Right, she was involved in a survival game with eleven other people, one of which could very well end up leading her on to her death. Hoisting herself up out of her bed, Yuno looked at her open window. The sunlight did not have to dodge the blinds today since she had fallen asleep so promptly after the meeting that she forgot to close them. Perhaps that is why she ended up waking up with the deep-rooted pain in her head, it may have been her own doing. Or not- Yuno squinted her eyes when she remembered the immense amount of stress that she went through before she fell asleep. It may not have been her fault, after all, she was told multiple times that she and her "partner" would be targeted first. Yuno's name was at the top of multiple people's hitlist and, let me tell you, that is not a very good feeling to have.

Nonetheless, Yuno knew that she did not want to spend her two weeks off from school sulking around her room. If anything, she wished to run through her house and pick up some things here and there. Maybe she could clean it up completely. It was not that messy to begin with but it would give the girl something to do- and it would even make her mother happy. The more that Yuno thought about it the more she realized that it was not a bad idea. So, with a small huff, Yuno lifted herself out of her bed and quickly changed into clean clothes: a blue sleeveless shirt with a black vest lazily put on over it. Looking down, the outfit was clearly meant to be together since they both ended with fancy laces at the bottom that led into a pair of tan shorts. It was not Yuno's most pretty outfit but she did not feel like it was necessary to change into anything like that since she planned to stay in her home for the most part today. Once the girl slipped her short white socks on comfortably, she stood up again and began her little "run-through". The first objective was, of course, to put her puppet-making container back where she had it last, on the uppermost shelf in her closet. That way Yuno would know exactly where she put it so she could continue her project later.

When she leaned downwards to grab a hold of the container, a thought popped into her head. Right, it was taken out in the first place yesterday due to that boy. The thought of that very person, Yukiteru Amano, caused the girl's face to scrunch up with a mix of feelings. There were two main emotions that she could draw to him- frustration and pity. Fear was not a very big factor in how she felt about him, she knew that he was quite disturbed but that was his own problem. She felt so much anger towards him that she could not feel sorry for him when it came to that- he was the one who ended up opening his mouth and causing the others to wish to target the two of them. There was just so much frustration that Yuno felt whenever she thought about him now- could she ever forgive him? That is where the pity came in, she knew very well that he was considered Sakurami Middle School's loner- he did not have very many friends nor did he socialize with people much. With that in mind, the girl felt extremely bad for directing so much anger towards him. She knew that she could not dislike him, putting that tag on him would not be very fair. They are both young students who also happen to be trapped in a scenario that can be considered hellish- that is why she could not do that. But Yuno knew very well that the inability to dislike him did not mean much when it came to the situation they were in- what mattered is the chemistry that they shared or lack of. In her mind, if they were to team up and try to face the hurdles that were ahead of them together… It would most likely end very poorly. Yuno considered the idea of her and Yukiteru working together a "recipe for disaster", perce. The girl would have let her thoughts wander off even more than that but she quickly remembered that she was in the process of doing something. Shaking the ideas off, Yuno took in a breath and continued what she was previously doing, taking the bin in both hands and putting it into the closet that was a few steps in front of her bed.

Staying true to her little promise, Yuno swept through the rest of her room- picking up small pieces of plastic here and there from her projects and dusting off a few things. That is when she noticed that she did not have the proper materials to finish straightening up her room. She lacked napkins and a proper window cleaner, so that meant that she would have to step outside of her room and retrieve them. This also meant that she would have to cross paths with her mother, Saika. That was not a very bad thing, not at all. Perhaps she could strike up a conversation with her to see how she felt today. It was a tad difficult to start talking to her but any little bit helped with her fight against the mental problems that she had- Yuno wanted to contribute in any way that she could, helping her mother was one of her biggest concerns, ironically. Even with the game, the girl felt that it was best to try to mend her family problems. Not only was it always important to her, but any moral support from her step-parents would be enough to, maybe, motivate her to get through dark times that are bound to be dragged in through the game. With this boost of confidence, backed with her negative thoughts of her only "ally" in the game, Yuno opened her door and headed out into the hallway. The chemicals, soaps, and other cleaners that she needed to proceed with her room were all in the washroom, but Yuno found herself walking right past it and slipping into the dining room to see if her mother was there enjoying her daily bit of coffee to get her through the day. Yes, she was usually very tired and the girl was very aware of that. She intended on joining her, perhaps even grabbing her own drink from the kitchen which was just a few steps away from the room. But as soon as she turned the corner to give Saika a small wave, she noticed that the area was void of any life. Raising an eyebrow at this, Yuno chose to head to her second guess as to where her mother may be hiding. Yeah, her bedroom was not too far from the dining room- she may have just overslept. That is not extremely uncommon, so Yuno simply let a chuckle slip past her lips as she peeked her head into her mother's bedroom.

There she was, laying back in her bed with her thick blanket covering the entirety of her frail body. Her dull eyes were open, surprisingly, but judging by her position it seemed like she had just woken up. Yuno could not help but wonder if she was already up for a long time or if she had just woken up. It unnerved her just a little bit, but a sight like this had nothing on what she had to see in the past. Recalling those scenes made her shiver- dark nights filled with both mental and physical abuse. She was locked in a cold, unforgiving cage as she grasped the bars and begged her mother to stop what she was doing, but all that she was met with was a dead stare such as the one that she wore right now. Shrugging that off, Yuno breathed in and entered the room, once again waving. This time, her mother saw it and seemed to acknowledge it- not with a smile though. Her face simply changed a bit- her eyebrows lowered and her gaze rose up to meet Yuno's very sluggishly. She did not spare a wave, in fact, she gave her nothing in return. Yuno could already tell that something was very wrong, just by looking at her visage. Bags under her eyes, pupils that lacked the usual saturated brown color that they had… It was a sight, truly, but Yuno gave her the best smile she could despite the look that she wore. This was not greeted the way that she expected though- there was no smirk in return nor was there any sign of life. All she did was breathe- something that any other human did. Other than that she lacked any humanity. This is when Yuno finally concluded that it was best to speak up- there was a chance that she would be brought back to the living if she heard her voice. Letting out a small cough, the girl began.

"Mama?" Said she as she got closer to her side, "Are you okay?". There was no sign of a reply, nor did it seem like she was even thinking of one. It was as if her voice was not present and she could not hear her. Talking to her was futile, Yuno would have to do something else to try to "wake her up". So, very gently, the female extended her arm and poked her mother's cheek. This got a blink out of her, showing that she was not completely unresponsive like she thought she was. With that, Yuno smiled once again and joked, "wake up, sleepyhead. You're usually up before I am!" This was followed by a tiny giggle that was her best pitch to lighten up the mood. It did not prove to be very useful though, the woman simply stayed in the position she was in before. A sigh of defeat was her next course of action- when her mother was as out of it as this there was no stopping it. There was a chance that she just had a bad night, nothing more. The last thing that Yuno thought was that it would be was something beyond a nightmare- something that was real. When her mother finally stirred, becoming one with the living once more, Yuno's eyes lit up and she tried to get her attention once more by carefully poking her covered shoulder. Again, she muttered her name but made sure to have it stick out enough that she did not mistake it for that of a dream. After all, the current state that she was in could mean a few things and one of those could be a possibility that she was stuck in a dream world. Sleep paralysis, or something more. It could be anything considering how low her mental state was- Saika was prone to being quite erratic. Visits to the hospital were not foreign to her. Thankfully, she seemed to surface at last. Her dull eyes shone to life and her body stretched as if she had just awoken from a great nap. Good, good! Nothing was wrong, Yuno was just overthinking the entire situation. Letting out a small, "hello", Yuno helped the fragile woman sit up and wake up fully. A response was not given right away, but the moment that she did let out a sound with her raspy voice, the girl felt her heart settle and begin to beat at its normal rate. Thank you- she was so glad that nothing was actually wrong Yuno was not sure if she could handle another disaster.

Her mother averted her eyes to the bedsheets that covered her and then back up to the pink-haired girl who looked down on her. The way that the older woman was eyeing Yuno down gave her the impression that she did not know where she was- was she lost in the dream still? Due to this, the female allowed her lips to part once again as she planned to coo her mother's nickname once again. Yes, Saika did let a sound roll past her throat but it was nothing more than a low groan- it was as if she was in pain within whatever she was stuck in mentally. The more that she acted strangely, the more that Yuno felt nervous. When all seemed to be useless, the woman finally opened her mouth fully and let out a very broken down sentence. "I… I've been scared, child." She admitted to the girl who had no idea what was truly darkening her mind. Letting out a tiny gasp, Yuno leaned forward and asked what was bothering her without any hesitation whatsoever. Hearing her mother describe her emotions like this was something that never happened when she was alone with her- it only occurred when she was next to Ushio, her father. The two were able to decipher what ailed her when she was this down in the dumps, but since Yuno was by her lonesome it was very difficult to work anything out. Her mother shifted in her bed weakly, very weakly covering her ears as if she could hear something that Yuno could not. "I saw people outside of our house yesterday… T-They were ghostly figures, they looked like they were undead and i-it looked like they were after something…" With that, her entire body twitched and she unshielded her ears as she looked up at Yuno with tears in her eyes. "B-But what? What were they looking for?"

There was no mistaking it, there was most definitely anxiety in every word that she spoke. It was as if she experienced a horror movie and was going through the aftershocks of it- but they were much worse than any normal ones that a person would feel. In a way, she lived through it and she had no idea. If the survival game's first meeting did not begin when it did she would have seen the "figures" that she explained up close. This caused Yuno to let out a shaky sigh- god, not only was this scary for her but… Her mother was suffering because of it too. This caused the girl to bend her body forward, wrapping her arms around her mother's feeble sides. She whispered a hissy "I'm sorry…" in her ear as she hugged her. Though it was quite quiet, the two words held much weight to them. The meaning behind the simple phrase did not reach her mother in the way that she expected though, no, it did absolutely nothing to her. Even though it meant nothing and did nott help in the slightest, Yuno's grip on Saika tightened. It was as if she believed that she could squeeze the problems out of her, but it did not do anything. All that it did was push her mother over the edge- not in a happy way where she was able to break away from what she dreaded but towards something that Yuno did not want to experience. It has been so long since anything extremely negative had happened and now the girl was unknowingly taking actions against her mother's concerns that would lead to them.

Saika's fingernails began to dig into Yuno's back- even with two layers of clothes on she could feel the spike-like grip that she had on her. It was similar to a death grip, really. If the female tried to jerk her body and force herself away it would surely hurt her so called "healing" mother. So she stayed where she was, taking the blunt pain as her arms loosened around her. Even though the aching in her back area climbed higher- it was as if her mother was jabbing her fingers in between sensitive bones so it would create an unbearable soreness- she gritted her teeth and continued to repeat that it was okay, everything was okay. No harm was going to come her way, there was nothing to worry about… These light words slipped past Yuno's mouth repeatedly as if they were true, but the girl herself knew that they were a lie. She did not know much about the situation herself- she was throwing meaningless words of comfort her mother's way in an attempt to soothe her. All they succeeded in doing was reminding Yuno about the cruel truth- she was not able to escape from this hell and her family was already getting involved. She proceeded to lose more of a grip on the matter at hand- it felt as if the atmosphere was growing heavier and everything was growing dark. It was the two of them, clinging to each other in the outcome of something that happened yesterday. As Yuno's words broke down, her own soft cheeks getting wet by trails of tears that rolled down very slowly, she did not fail to apologize over and over again. This was starting to feel like something they would have done in the past… Flashbacks that Yuno did not want to recall were beginning to flow past her mental dam, causing her arms to go limp.

As soon as Yuno's hands were taken off of Saika, it was as if she was thrown into a dark pit that she would never be able to get out of her. Her crushing hug became even tighter, getting to be so much that it winded the poor girl. She struggled to get away from the disturbed woman as her fingernails danced up Yuno's arms- scratching them and trying to burrow their way into her silky skin. The splitting pain that she felt throughout that area was enough to make her let out small, pathetic cries as she fought against her more and more. "Mama, please let go of me!" Begged Yuno as she realized that she would have to utilize force against her mother who was more than lost. Of course, she did not listen to her step-daughter in the slightest- it only got worse for her. When Yuno finally mustered the strength to yank her mother off of her, Yuno flung her body backwards anticipating her to lash out like she did in the past. She did not, and Yuno needlessly rammed into the nightstand. The wooden edge pushed right into a pressure point in the bottom part of her back, causing her to yelp out in pain once again. As she rubbed the area gently and tried to smooth the tears off of her face, the overflowing negativity from her mother became more evident. She began to tremble, grabbing the sheets of her bed and spasming as if something was taking hits at her and making her suffer. She spoke of men and women talking to her- they would not stop no matter what she did. In her view, she did something to scare away the demons who tried to take down her home yesterday and they were now taking revenge on her. "Make them stop, make them stop…" She kept repeating as her eyes darted from one side to the room to the other, acting like it was filled with the same attackers. Yes, in her mind she did see them. Saika was stuck in a living nightmare where Yuno was stuck beneath the contorting, terrifying faces made by the adults who had planned to attack the Gasai residence yesterday. They breathed unforgiving words into her ears over and over, trying to make her give up her sanity in any way that they could. After blinking a few times, she noticed that they still would not leave her sight- it had been like this for the entire night- no, it was ever since they left without a trace. When Yuno finally passed off her injury, she tried to reach out and hold her mother's hand one last time to calm her down. Things were spiraling downwards very quickly; at this rate she would have to call her father in to see what they should do. This was not normal- if she kept hearing voices then it would surely lead to something that Yuno did not want to happen. When Yuno's hand brushed against Saika's shaking and cold fingers, the woman let out a shrill scream that caused the terrified teen to recoil instantly.

"They won't go away, please make them go away!" Shrieked the woman as Yuno took a few steps backwards- planting her back against the wall as she watched her mother's body throw itself around in an attempt to eliminate the various sounds that raced through her mind. "Please! I can't take this anymore- I'd rather…" She went on, scraping at her previously clean face with her sharp fingernails, "I-I'd rather DIE than have to deal with this any longer!" Tears finally spilled past Yuno's eyes enough to make their way down her chin, dripping off of it onto her clothes. Her mother was not healing anymore- her wound had been reopened. No, it was torn open to the point where it would not be able to heal- at least, that is what it seemed like to poor Yuno. It took so much just to convince herself to stop trying to help her mother by herself- it was clear that she could no longer aid her mother in any way. Shakily clutching her phone in her hand, the girl looked down at the tiny screen and began to punch in the number to call her father. It took a moment, but he did end up picking up in the first attempt that she made to reach him. When he answered, he greeted Yuno with a cheerful "hey!", but did not receive a quick and peppy answer from his step-daughter in return. No, he heard painful screaming in the background and the tiny hitches of Yuno's breath. He was able to tell that something was going on without getting any proper words thrown his way, and without hesitation, the man told the fearful girl that he would be home in just a few minutes. He prompted her to stay on the line with him- he knew what Saika was capable of and did not even want to think about the idea of her trying to attack their beloved step-daughter once again. The past did not need to be repeated, he said with no second thoughts whatsoever. Yuno knew that he was right- if she did not stay by his side and tried to make another useless attempt to reach out to her and connect to her enough to pull her out of the hole that she had fallen in… It would just end in disaster. The thought did not settle very well with Yuno though- her body had froze up completely when she saw her mother reach her shaky hand out towards Yuno, trying to emphasize how in need of help she was. Saika wanted her to come and hug her again- to tell her that everything was going to be okay and that the voices would stop tormenting her.

Yuno's phone had picked up her words and Ushio spurt that she could not trust her no matter how much she meant to them. This was just another example of how dysfunctional they were as a family, even after all of this time… Not even her father could trust her mother anymore- his own wife. Saika reached out further and further without Yuno picking up how close she was coming to her. Before she knew it, her light blue flip phone was snatched out of her hand. It took Yuno a minute to process it, but when she saw Saika shoving her mouth into the microphone- trying to tell Ushio how horrible the demons that were haunting her were, Yuno noticed the magnitude of the situation. If her body twisted in any weird way and snapped her phone or even damaged it in any way, it would surely cause her future to be broken and her death would follow right after that. In a panic, Yuno threw herself at her mother and tried to take her phone back, resulting in a few blows from her mother. "Our daughter is attacking me! She's a demon, I TOLD you t-this!" Saika screeched as she jabbed at Yuno's head repeatedly, trying to get her to let go. Shaking her head, Yuno insisted that she was not trying to hurt her mother, she was just trying to take her phone back. Ushio, who was driving home as fast as he could, told the two to cut it out and for Saika to return her phone at once. Obviously, it did no good and the fight ended up being resolved naturally- it took a few nasty pulls of Yuno's hair and some hard punches to the eye, but the girl finally got her phone back from her crazed mother. She looked over the scene when it was over- her mother writhed on her soft and comfortable bed as if it were being boarded by monstrous demons. She was scared- so scared… Strands of long pink hair were swirled around unnaturally bent fingers and tears covered her entire visage- not just her cheeks.

It was so unpleasant that Yuno had every intention just to retreat back to her room. Screw this, really… That would not be right though- being the most important chain to mending the Gasai family, Yuno felt that she needed to stick around and do her best to help. It took a lot of convincing, but the girl finally concluded that she had the willpower to stay where she was and monitor her mother until Ushio came home to figure out what to do. Minutes passed, and at last, he arrived at the front door and slammed it open, only to see Yuno, who was slightly beaten up and Saika, who was twisting her body in unspeakable ways on the bed. At first glance, it looked like she was being possessed by an unknown force. He ran to Yuno's side- patting her head and then hugging her close to show her that everything was okay. "I know that it's hard but… We'll figure out what to do with her now. Everything will be okay…" With that said, Yuno could not help but allow a laugh to make it past her mouth. It was funny to her, beyond ironic even. "I said the same thing to her…" She told him as she wrapped her arms around him tighter than before. All that she wanted to feel was safety, and when her father came home to clean up messes like this it was hard not to feel comfortable. Her hopes were always regained when Ushio came home to speak with her- out of the two she clearly preferred him.

"Papa…" Yuno began as she let go of him, allowing her pink eyes to go from his unnerved expression to her mother's insane one. "Is everything going to be okay?" Hearing that would make her feel better for sure- as would any words of comfort. She was gifted with a nod from the man, who approached his wife to check on her. Her body was as stiff as a strong branch, but it could also break as easily as one if enough pressure was exerted. Noting this, the man then looked into her eyes and noticed the lack of a response. He turned to Yuno and asked her if this happened before, and to that Yuno replied, "It did. It started off like that, a-actually… She wouldn't respond to me at all." It was a strange thing to think about, but Yuno's belief was that she was stuck in the nightmare world again- far from reality. It was likely that she was being taunted by the voices that apparently haunted her. This caused Yuno to feel quite bad for the woman, it must have been so scary to face that type of thought, especially alone. It was clear that the female was beginning to feel down again, and this caused Ushio to turn and give her a small squeeze on the shoulder for reassurance.

"I'm serious- I'm going to make sure that everything is okay." With that, his eyes went back to the unresponsive woman on the bed and then down to his pocket. He began to dig for his phone again as he told the fearful Yuno, "That's our goal, right? We're going to recover and become a joyful family again… So I'm going to need you to bear with me and stay happy. Staying positive is the most major part of this little plan of ours." His hand then came out of his pocket, holding his expensive phone. First, he typed in the number for the local hospital and called ahead- telling them to be outside and ready to take his wife inside to be checked up on and watched. When he was asked what was wrong, he told them what had happened. His knowledge was quite limited though since he was just introduced to the scene when Yuno chose to call him up- this caused the man to turn to Yuno and whisper that she will be required to tell the staff what happened so they are aware of her state. It was going to be challenging to recall, not because of forgetfulness but pain, but of course, she agreed to explain everything that happened from start to finish. The man smiled at her, clearly proud of how honest she was willing to be. What a strong girl he raised- it was something to treat as an accomplishment.

One thing was struck off of the new list that the family was given, and of course, this list's objective was to take care of Saika and make sure that she made a full recovery from whatever mental problem she was suffering through right now. They now had to find a way to safely load her into the car without hurting her twitching figure. It took a lot of working together- Yuno had to hold her from the top half and Ushio had to hold her from the bottom half, supporting both sides equally so it did not get thrown off and result in her being dropped onto her head or legs. Ushio had put her down when he had to open the car, and Yuno held her up so she did not fall backwards and injure herself, and with that, they lifted her and put her into the family's car safely. When this was done, the girl closed the door and ran to the front door of her home to also close and lock it, just to be safe. When she arrived back at the car, Yuno took the shotgun seat, though the "honor" did not make her very happy this time around. After all, her mother was suffering and they were only entering the car to take her to the hospital safely. Ushio hopped into the driver seat and put the car in reverse, driving out of the driveway and popping onto the road to head to the hospital. It was only a few minutes away but the drive was bound to feel very long- her mother was still laying down, shifting uncomfortably as she mumbled broken words that only made Yuno feel even more uneasy. It was hard to watch or even listen to, causing Yuno to push her head against the headrest. Her pink hair covered her closed eyes, and she did her best to ignore her mother's words.

They arrived, pulling into the hospital's premises and stopping right in the middle of the emergency room dropoff. It was the best way to get in quickly, and besides, Saika was a frequent visitor. When things did go wrong, they always referred her to there for the next stay. Two women who were dressed in outfits that Yuno knew very well stepped by the car and opened the door. They softly stuck her mother into a wheelchair which she clearly did not like. Her body contorted much more than before and she did her best to kick the people who were attempting to get her into the hospital. Yuno watched in horror as she heard her mother screech about the ghostly figures and a so-called "eyeball man". This did not stray too far from the norm when it came to her nightmares- in the past, she had thought up some pretty unique creatures that Yuno swore could be used in the next big horror story. But, of course, Yuno knew what she may have meant when she mentioned that man. That's right, he was one of the many users who were after her life. A wave of newfound anger started to bubble up in the girl's chest- and slowly, her fisted hands clenched to the point where they ached. As she tried to mask her frustration through the use of a poker face, the nurses wheeled her mother into the air-conditioned hospital. It was a big difference from the icky, dry air that the outside bore. There was no subtle murmur from the wind, nor was there a cloud in the sky. Even with the trees that were dressed beautifully with vivid green leaves within her eyesight, Yuno could not help but to consider it lifeless. The hospital, though it was a place that she disliked immensely, breathed a bit of life into her through its chilling puffs of air.

Fury was one of the only words that could properly explain what Yuno felt right now- it was definitely a huge jump from what she felt before, fear. How dare that man get involved with her family life as he did? This pounded at her head as she tried to keep herself together with a smile for the sake of her father. He was at Saika's side, who was flinging herself about in the wheelchair desperately. Tears were overflowing past her eyes onto her scrunched up face, it was as if she knew exactly where they were taking her… And she was terrified, truly. It was often expressed to Yuno over their table in the dining room- how much she despised the hospital. She said how it felt like the workers were trying to use her as a reference for future patients- testing medication on her and talking to her like she did not mean anything. It was as if they belittled her, but Yuno knew that this was most likely not true. She would just prefer to be home with her family- Saika knew that something was wrong with her and she was tired of having things done to combat it. It was as if she just wanted to get better so she could live a normal life with her and Ushio, and really, that made Yuno feel a bit depressed when she took a sip of her coffee in the morning. The woman was a normal person deep down, she was just trapped far beneath her mercurial mindset. Imagine having to face something similar to sleep paralysis every night, being faced with many shadow figures with an inhuman amount of bloodshot eyes that shot back and forth as they looked down at you with a toothy grin. That was just one description of what Saika saw when she had her fits- Yuno could not imagine living a life like that. That is why it pained her so much to see her sobbing and twitching mother get locked into a hospital room again, just like she feared.

They did not allow Yuno to step into the area with her mother, but Ushio was given a green light. He put his hands on Yuno's shoulders tightly, looking into her clearly upset eyes as he told her, "I'll be out very soon… We can get lunch afterwards, maybe. I just need you to sit down in the waiting room for a little bit, okay?" The girl nodded and she then felt the grip on her shoulder get removed. Listening to what her father ordered was not the first thing on her mind though- in fact, she did not head to the waiting room at all. She stood by the door, pinning her back against the wall and listening closely to the scene as she shut her eyes. As she heard her mother shout about the voices still being there and the ghostly figures still standing there, she could not help but to imagine what was going on. After all, she was not allowed to peek in through the very small glass covering on the door. There was more than just yelling- there was shrieking coming from both the nurses and her father, asking her mother not to force her body into such painful-looking positions. It was as if they believed that she could hear them- they would never understand, really. Yuno began to wish that she did not open her mouth and stayed with her mother instead of leaving her with these imbeciles. As much as she loved her father, Yuno knew that he was not the best at handling stressful situations either.

The sounds beyond the door did not quiet down in the slightest, no, they got worse. This was not the only thing that was beginning to fall apart, Yuno felt calm composure starting to split apart along with the situation. Her task was simple: all that she had to do was stand by the room and be a good child like her father asked her to do. But that was difficult for Yuno, she wanted nothing more than to step away and leave the hallway. It was more critical than that, actually- she wished to leave the hospital and escape from the stress for just a few minutes. Just so she could patch up the crack that had popped up in her mental wall- that's all. Taking in a deep breath, Yuno picked herself up from the wall and began to slowly step through the hallways, leading to an elevator at the very end of her path. Others were looking at her strangely- what was such a young girl doing at the hospital alone? When they saw the slight sparkle in her eyes though, they decided that it was best to leave her be. Her emotions were unstable, messing with her in any way would just pull her further down into despair. Without a second thought, she walked past the check in desk and out of the sliding doors. There was not as much as a glance gifted to the others, not even one. The car, which was parked very close to the entrance, was also not looked at by Yuno. All that she wished to do was get away- she would text her father later and tell him that she is okay. Maybe an excuse such as going out with her friends would work, it was believable since she was a youthful girl going through a tough time. It is normal to want to get away from it, if he had any questions past that she would do her best to sort it out then. Right now, she just wanted to forget. In order for this to happen, Yuno continued to drag herself out of the hospital area, out of the parking lot and then out of sight of the parking garage. If she were to look up, Yuno would surely see the flags that were propped on top of the building sitting where they were. There was still no wind to propel them, they were stuck just like she was.

Gah, why was she letting this weigh her down so much? As mentioned before, she had no room for this anymore. Perhaps, if this was just a few months ago, the female would allow this to pain her far more. Surely she would have stayed by her father's side, crying into his chest to let some of the pain leave her. Thinking about that, Yuno realized that something like that would do the job of relieving her- as of right now, her chest felt extremely tight. On the edge of tears was the best way to put it, really. The best way to go about it since she was exhausted of that option was quite simple, but even though it was easy in concept, that did not mean that she would be able to do it. Try her best to think about something else, or let her mind wander perce. Letting herself do that did not take very much but the selection of things that she had to worry about were quite limited, each one being beyond extreme. Right, she had the survival game to worry about, and this is where she finally decided to take out her diary to scope out what she had missed while she fell asleep and had this problem with her mother arise. The future, which she had recalled was not her own, has not changed in a long time. In fact, no actions altered it at all since the attack on her home yesterday. But the idea that it was based around was one that Yuno was not a big fan of- yeah, that boy who talked far too much yesterday during the meeting. Yukiteru. Why did her diary change so suddenly anyways? That was something that she was not able to answer despite how much she had lingered on the topic. After all, it changed so suddenly… Opening the diary up promptly, Yuno's eyes scanned over the small screen. That is when she recalled everything that happened that day after school.

_-As soon as she twisted around that corner, a very loud noise emitted from her purse. To sum it up, it was a very loud ear grinding static noise that sounded like it could easily be made by a broken device. But in Yuno's case, it came from her phone. Out of complete shock, the girl reached for her phone and looked over it. There was no change, but it seemed like the notes that she kept in her phone had been tampered with. That is exactly where she kept her Family Photo diary, something that she held dear. Hastily, she switched to the notes page and was quickly met with the harsh reality. All of her entries were gone. Every single one of them.-_

It was a struggle to remind herself of that, not only because it was frightening but also because that diary that she had meant a lot to her. The Family Photo Diary- that was a personal project of hers that she put a lot of work into. Obviously, it got worked into something that she had no part in, a diary that only had entries about a boy who she did not know very well before the game started. Even now, Yuno was not very fond of him- and yet he acted like there were no wrongs between them. Letting out a sigh, Yuno's finger went across the keys on her phone, stopping on the up and down arrows. She clicked it a few times to bring the selection bar up, this way she could skim over entries that were written. What a boring life Yukki lived, at least from what she could see… He woke up, left his house, went out to pick up a half dozen donuts and was now walking through the heart of Sakurami City. Yeah, she was picking on him for having such a stale casual life and yet she wished that she could have it, how ironic… Regardless, she let out a pathetic huff and lowered her gaze from her light blue phone. Having it out was not a good idea if there were any users who were walking an opposite path as Yuno then they would intercept her. The people who she was forced to face were not dumb, she could tell that much. Why bother discrediting them just to make herself feel less anxious? There was no point, she had to face the truth head-on if she intended on getting anywhere.

Without noticing it, Yuno was reading the entries void of thought. There was a chance that it was starting to become second nature to her. It was not evident by the amount of time that she was checking it alone, it was also proven by the lack of a reaction that she showed when reading over anything that was jotted down in the same font that her phone used for everything else. Blinking a few times, the girl finally got her grip with life once more and snapped out of the trance that she was in. Spacing out- that was so unlike her and she knew it. In the past, after she finally began to put the first bandage on the mess that was her family life, Yuno was so happy that she had no reason to lose her touch with reality. Maybe the occasional recollection moments she had of terrifying nights count as something, but other than that, she genuinely could not think of other times where she let herself trail off. It was all new to her, just like the way of life that the game brought to the table was. Anyways, she decided that it was best to put the diary away for now and just breathe. So much happened to her in such a small amount of time, what she needed was a break. That was her thought process when it came to her next actions: close the phone, square it away in her brown purse safely, and then look up at the sky that lacked any cotton ball-like clouds to attempt to think more on the positive side. Similar to other occurrences lately, this did not come easily. No, her diary created a loud ear-grinding noise that caused the girl to jump a bit and cover her phone to muffle the noise. Did anyone hear that? She certainly hoped that her attempt to stop the noise from getting out was not in vain.

Unsurprisingly, Yuno's first instinct was to check what caused the noise, even if a few residents of the city had looked her way. If the future changed so suddenly, it only meant one thing- someone acted to change the future. Whether it be another user or Yukki himself, Yuno knew that it meant nothing good. That is why reading it was so unnerving to her, she did not know if it was good or bad for him or even herself. There was no bad news at first glance, but upon further inspection, she noticed that there was something off. With how observant she was being when it came to her diary and Yukiteru's actions, the female failed to realize that she was the one being observed. Yes, a pair of deep blue eyes were watching Yuno from afar and yet she had no idea until she reached the most up to date entry in her diary. The moment that Yuno finally read the entry was also the very moment that she felt her heart drop like it did before. She was not ready to talk to the boy who planned to face her at all.

* * *

_5/3, 8:47 [Sakurami Central]_

_Yukki finds me and slowly approaches me the moment he does with a box in hand. He seems to be very happy to see me as always._

* * *

"Yuno…!" A hushed yet excited voice had been picked up by Yuno's ears, and as soon as she heard it the girl found herself looking around a bit to face the boy. Really, whenever he showed up it was always a chore to find him because he was always so shy about it. Rarely did he decide to approach her upfront, and when he did it was always followed by mountains of apologies as if he was just caught committing a crime. That was something that Yuno knew that she would never understand- if he approached her in the creepy manner that he did when they first started talking then why did he bother trying to act casual? Of course, Yuno had no ideas to present that question to him, but it still picked at her whenever he decided to greet her. In spite of the flood of negativity that she had to withstand this morning, the girl held herself together and forced a smile just so the boy would not have any inquiries. "Hello, Yukki!" bubbled she when she finally found where he was coming from. Strange, he seemed to have just stumbled out of an alleyway- did he really just take a shortcut to see her? Yuno wanted to roll her eyes at this but, once again, she held herself back from doing so.

It seemed like he sensed the confusion in her expression though, even if it was pushed down so far that she swore that he would not pick up anything. "G-Good morning!" He waved to her with a grin. As his expression shifted from cheerful to concerned, Yuno noted his outfit. It was different from his usual one, that is for sure. He wore a green jacket with short sleeves over a white t-shirt with a dark blue collar. Below that was a pair of generic tan shorts which complimented the beanie that he often wore out. His dart bag, which was wrapped around his waist tightly, was almost the same color as his tall shoes. The outfit looked light enough- it happened to be extremely hot out today so she could understand why he made that call. That is when she heard his next set of words though. "Are you okay?" Questioned the boy who eyed her innocently- it was as if he was truly worried about her and her well being. Yuno did not want to be rude to the boy and chase him off, especially after what happened this morning. As much as she was against the idea of being an ally to him, right now the girl could not bring herself to so much as throw a bit of sass his way. Continuing her fake smirk, she replied with a small "I'm fine, don't worry. It's just very hot out today and I wasn't expecting to face the heat." With that, the boy nodded and went to say that he agreed with her completely- but it did not take him long to notice that he would end up contradicting himself with his hat. So, with the newly found deep blush spread across his soft cheeks, Yukki used his free hand to remove it and then agree with her. "Y-Yeah! It's very hot out today… A-And…" Oh no, he noticed how awkward he made the situation by choosing to remove his hat mid-conversation. Allowing a quiet cry to leave his throat, the boy covered his face and went on with the talk as if nothing went wrong. "Y-Yes, it's warm out. N-No, hot. And uncomfortable…"

Yuno could not help but giggle at his trouble with words- it was not meant to make fun of him at all, it was just a bit cute to her. The boy, of course, took it the wrong way and uncovered his face to look at her with his terrified and teary eyes. "I'm so s-sorry, Yuno… I'm not trying to make a scene out here, I promise! I was just trying to talk to you and…" With that, he averted his gaze and began to nervously pick at a loose thread that stuck out of his beanie. "I-I'm j-just not very good at conversations- I guess…" His voice got lower and lower in volume as he spoke, eventually becoming nearly inaudible. Obviously, Yuno was able to infer what he meant even with the lack of a clear end. He was a very shy boy and this is just how he was. Giving in to him was one of the last things that she wanted to do when it came to the survival game, but she did not want to act coldly towards him as a person. Yes, he did very strange things at times like when he practically jump scared her through text messages. "_Don't delete me."_, is exactly what he told her over a phone message. It was almost like he was a completely different person at that time though, and even when he faced the other users during the survival game's initial meeting. Every instance where he acted up baffled Yuno- he acted like the complete opposite of what he made of himself when in her presence. He is bizarre for sure, but the girl could not help but to be at least a little bit charmed when she was around his bashful side. In result, Yuno swiftly told the boy that she was not making fun of him- it was just that finding him at least somewhat cute proved to be difficult to avoid. "You understand that right?" wondered Yuno as she looked towards the boy. Expectedly, Yukki took her words and blew them way out of proportion. His face turned an even deeper shade of red, as he made a very lame suggestion. "L-Let's sit down together, Yuno… I uh, have something to show you."

Oh dear, Yuno really did not mean to flatter him as much as she did. Now he seemed to be very embarrassed and, even worse, seemed to want to get even closer to her. The girl… Did not want that, nor did she want to take a seat somewhere in the heart of Sakurami. It was a foolish move- did he not think that they could be caught by an enemy? Like before, it was like Yukki was able to read Yuno's feelings like a book, and she always felt like she hid them very well. "There's no need to be nervous, we aren't going to be attacked in a place with a bunch of civilians." He then put his pointer finger on his chin as if he was trying to think even further into the subject. "At least, I think so. There's a very low chance-" Out of nowhere, Yuno pepped in and let out a hiss: "You didn't need to add that last part!" She said, scolding the boy for what he did. This resulted in a frown forming on his face and his view being lowered to the ground. Various apologies left his lips as he tried to make up for what he told her, and Yuno could not stop herself from saying that it was fine even though she still did not want to. It was hard to balance her friendly feelings, fearful ones and ones of anger towards him. At this point, she did not know what to think of him but could she truly be blamed? Yuno is a fourteen-year-old girl, and so is Yukki- they both most likely did not know what was best. Yukki continued on with his suggestion though, holding the box that he had in his hand by its handle shakily. Taking a risk, he took her hand and pulled her out of the way of civilian traffic, that way the people who were walking around them previously could proceed smoothly. They were in a part of the city that had many trees planted in places surrounded by concrete and other rocks. Some of the stumps of the trees could not reach the ground, so they were put in dirt that was supported by flat rocks. Due to the heat, the surface of the stone was quite warm but Yukki still thought that it would be best if they decided to stop there.

"We could take a seat right here, maybe…" He said as he pulled the girl along with him to a sturdy stack of rocks- they were leveled enough that they could perch themselves on it without much of a problem. Yukki hopped up onto it and let go of Yuno's hand so he could safely put the box that he held in his other hand down. The female, who was still not a big fan of staying out in the public like this, sat next to him and let out a sigh. It was quite noticeable, enough for Yukiteru to raise an eyebrow at her and ask her if she was still feeling okay. Only three minutes had passed since his last check-in when it came to how she felt, so Yuno was not really sure how to respond this time around. As expected, she hesitantly said that she was "fine" again, but this time it seemed like Yukki did not buy it. Worried about her and her feelings, Yukki slickly moved his hand to hold hers- and when he knew that she noticed it he gave it a small squeeze. "I care about you a lot…" Admitted the male as he let go of her hand, gently pushing his fingers together just to feel something other than complete anxiety through his being. He chose to take another social risk, at least it seemed like that to him. Reaching over to the left, Yukki's hands gripped the handle of the box and he then slipped it open by pulling the two sides apart. Looking at the girl with his glistening blue eyes, the boy showed Yuno what was in the boxes. "I g-got donuts because… I like how they taste, I guess. And I wanted to know if you wanted any, maybe…?" Spoke he as he stared deep into her eyes without her knowing. Her gaze was, unsurprisingly, turned towards the contents of the box rather than him.

There were four more fresh donuts in the box, surrounded by thin paper so whoever took one out of the box could grab one without getting their touch all over the other ones. Yuno recalled that Yukki had bought a half dozen which meant that he already snacked on two of them- that had to mean that he was full, right? Yuno was quite hungry herself, she woke up and faced something that woke her up completely in a rude manner. Since then she has been very upset, so getting something into her stomach would not be the worst idea. Nodding, Yuno grinned at Yukiteru and accepted the offer with a tiny, "thank you so much". She had a choice between a full-on chocolate donut and three plain donuts slathered in pink icing with red heart sprinkles spread all over them. It could not be helped, but Yuno believed that Yukki had the three pink donuts made with her in mind. A bit disgusted by the sappy thought, Yuno reached for the chocolate donut. Not only did she prefer it more than the other two, it was also a normal donut that she did not have to feel like was a tribute to her. While she looked at the delicious food that she held in her hand, the female expressed her thankfulness just a bit more. "I appreciate this, thank you again." Yuno hummed as she opened her mouth to take a small bite into it. She was being watched though, silently judged even. Unfortunate Yukkki, who was not very skilled socially, watched the girl begin to chew on the last donut that he got for himself. The three other ones were made specifically for the girl- he thought that she would have loved them and thanked him for thinking about her. That was not the case, clearly. His mouth was open the entire time after she took the chocolate donut. He was clearly trying to formulate the proper words to get her to stop but he simply could not bring himself to do such a thing. So he continued to observe, appearing far creepier than he thought he was.

Only a bit of munching had been done before Yuno finally realized that she was being stared at- not because of her but because of the treat that she held. The message was not clear, though- it did not properly reach her which resulted in her continuing to eat it without a second thought. Small bite after small bite, and at last something changed which caught the female's attention. Yukiteru, who she thought was just looking at her because he loved her, had leaned in and bit on the donut that Yuno was eating- on his side, of course. Instantly, her face turned beet red and her arms jerked forward, knocking the delight out of both her mouth and his. Chewing, Yukki leaned back from her and crossed his arms as if nothing happened. A light blush was also spread across his visage but it was not nearly as visible as Yuno's. At last, after watching over the seemingly unknowing male for a few seconds, she spurt "W-What was that? Why would you even-" And to that, Yukki made a convincing pout as he replied with a light, "That donut was meant for me and… I didn't know how else to tell you that."

He was talented in acting innocent, really… Yuno let out another sharp breath as she covered the chocolate donut in the paper wrapping and passed it off to the introverted boy who seemed to feel guilty now. He held it in his hands for just a moment and then pushed it towards Yuno again with nothing but sadness in his expression. "I didn't mean to ruin my gift to you. You can have this if you want, I was just k-kidding and…" The feelings that he bore were evident, therefore Yuno decided to branch out and be kind rather than take the path of a rude girl. She took the donut in her hand and carefully broke it in half, being sure to keep the side that she ate in her possession. As for the paper, Yuno handed it off to Yukki so she did not touch the other side. "There, all better!" exulted Yuno as she finished up eating her portion. The boy looked over her in awe- she was so considerate in his eyes! His pupils shone with life as he snarfed down the part that he was given. The desire to eat was apparent when it came to Yukiteru, and what was funny was that he tried to hide how fast he ate it, and the fact that he recently finished two other ones. When he was done, Yuno's attention had met his and they both had their respective reactions to each other- the girl chuckled as the blush on her face began to fade away and the male was practically squishing his face due to the thoughts that were rushing through his head. Yukki adored Yuno so very much and this sweet exchange they just experienced only strengthened that for him.

When their snack time was over and all was said and done, Yukki crumpled up the paper wrapping and stood up to toss it out. "I'll be right back, okay?" The male informed Yuno as the same goofy smile stayed pasted on his face- he was so happy right now that he could barely contain it. The nearest trash can was a minute or so away from them though. After all, they decided to settle down on a surface that was not designed to be sat on. Yuno nodded at the boy and then scooted over to reach the box that he left out in the open. It seemed like the icing was beginning to melt in the heat, causing the girl to a bit more uncomfortable. Guess he did not think this through, either that or he truly thought that she would like them, she ended up closing it anyways so they did not get ruined anymore. Feeling a bit confused as to how to treat Yukiteru, Yuno exhaled and rested her head on her palm. If she wanted to get away from him now she could easily stand up and leave the scene, but there was something that made her hesitant to act crude towards him. Everything was just so complicated and honestly, the girl wanted nothing more than to just toss herself on her bed and fall asleep for the rest of the day. Laughable? Yes. But Yuno had already concluded that it was not her fault, nor was it really Yukki's fault many times over. Fluttering her eyes a bit, Yuno felt a sudden urge to cry come over her. She was not sure why at first- it started with an ache in her chest and now her eyes were burning. It was not a shock that she drew it to how unsure she was about her life at the moment, but when she heard the loud tap of Yukki's boots against the sidewalk, her attention was instantly brought up to him. They were both obviously on edge, and that was especially brought onto the female when she noticed the sign of panic in Yukiteru's expression.

"W-What is it?" Asked Yuno, who found herself standing up from the rocks- nearly knocking the box of donuts into the dirt below. It was as clear as day, something went wrong and Yukki did not know how to convey it to her. Expressing any interest in something outside of her herself was not very common. Raising his arm up, Yukki showed Yuno the diary entry that had shown up just a minute after he left her side. At first, she was a bit baffled. There was not a DEAD END flag so that was a plus, but as she read more into it the female noticed the severity of the problem that he tried to make her aware of. Right there, in the same pixel-like font as her phone, read very scary words that Yuno had trouble believing in. There was not just one entry that stuck out from the rest, but two. Letting out a gasp, Yuno read them aloud to herself nearly silently just to make sure it was right.

* * *

_5/3, 8:56 [Sakurami Central]_

_A bunch of policemen bumped into me and ran towards the Sakurami Police Station. The roof is billowing a mass amount of dark smoke, there must be a very bad fire._

* * *

_5/3, 9:31 [Sakurami Central]_

_There are lines of ambulances outside of the area, so much so that it began to back up the roads and cause traffic. They are not sure how many people were injured and if there were any deaths._

* * *

The… Police station? Who would want to target a place like that? Yes, it is a known fact that Sakurami City, a place that most of the residents loved, was experiencing a sudden spike in the number of crimes committed. But something about this instance is far worse than the others, and the reason why is very easy to pick out. Murders were just another normal conversation topic, as sad as it sounds- those who live in the city have become used to turning into the news and seeing a singular murder spread across the years here and there. It has increased in number which meant that it was far more common to see a crime, but it did not take very long for others to learn that it was mostly turned towards those who dared to tread through the streets alone at night. Only a fool would take a stroll once the moon peeked its face from beyond the horizon. The city was creepily quiet at night but, other than that, murders began to slow down and other crimes began to pop up here and there. Robberies, mugging, and other instances of crime that could be considered toxic. But, as Yuno was taught by her father, it was just a part of city life that she would have to grow accustomed to. Wrongdoings became far more common and, ever since the word of a terrorist group ringing out to the public during one news report, those who live in Sakurami have been in the dark. Nothing, it seemed like the reports of crime relating to the group was gone and everything was safe once again. But this… This was something that Yuno never expected someone or something to do- really, arson?

The intention to hurt people was quite evident too, it was not just any building. It was as if the person or people who did it knew the perfect time to strike. Morning was the time when the heart of the city was not very crowded but the station got packed with drowsy workers who were eager to get their hands on their morning tea and coffee, catch up with coworkers, and all of that. They were not ready for action, in fact, this time of day was meant for them to prepare for what the day was going to throw at them. Night workers were present since, as expected, the station ran twenty-four seven. But the amount of employees when put up against the number of them in the morning was entirely different. This was planned, it was not just a crime with no purpose other than to scare people. Due to these thoughts, Yuno found herself shaking her head and walking towards the scene rather than away. As she walked forward, Yuno noticed that she had no clue how close the disaster was. She was already within close proximity, looking upwards gave her a clear shot of the contaminated puffs of smoke that were rising from the dark blue building. It was true- the orange and red flames had already gotten its unforgiving hold on the place that many people went to just to work and keep everyone safe from harm. Like a bunch of bees trying to cling to their hive to keep it up, many people swarmed around it and tried to help how they could. There was a diverse selection of emergency responders- policemen themselves, firemen, ambulance workers, all of that. Their attempts to get past the crowd of people who had bunched around it ended up with Yuno being pushed around, so much that Yukki noticed it and ended up standing behind her to make sure that she was not accidentally knocked down. "Y-Yuno, we can't stay here. It's way too busy! They may end up pushing you and hurting you a-and..." He tried to warn her as his hands steadily gripped her shoulders.

Yuno turned to face the male. While she could give him credit for caring about her, it was so strong that it was palpable, even- it was impossible to support his way of going about the situation. "We aren't just going to run away like you wanted before, Yukki!" Declared the girl as she placed one of her hands on his, tearing it off of her shoulder. His arms went limp, it was as if he had lost all feeling each one. His other set of fingers, which were curved around her right shoulder, ended up coming loose and letting go naturally. Going against her was one of his least favorite things to do, and when she tried to step up as the hero he could not help but to respect her actions. From what he could tell, there was no danger in staying around the scene other than the potential to be shoved onto the ground from responders who were in a rush. Since the boy knew this, he decided to let his protective instincts rest, just a little bit. There was no way that he would leave her side and leave her alone, especially when facing such a view, but for her, he would let her believe that she could help. Smiling, the boy shrugged off his numbness and said, "I understand, Y-Yuno… I'll be here to support you then. I always will..." That was a given, Yuno knew that he would always be by her side even if she did not want him there. It just seemed to be the kind of person he was.

Deep down though, both teens knew that not much could be done. Far too many flames had already engulfed the premise and, even with so many people trying to save anything they could of it, any attempts to extinguish it were in vain. Pushing through the gathering, Yuno finally managed to escape the horde and stick her head out enough to get a complete look. Since the fire had just sparked fairly recently, the blue covering that helped bring the structure together had not been torn down yet. The upper floor was burning, fire appeared to climb up the back of the upper floor, up to the top of the roof. Material that made up that part was charred- orange, hot pieces of it fell to the ground as smoke traveled higher into the blue sky. It seemed to be rising so far up that it could touch the clouds that were beginning to form in the sky, it would not do that though. To be frank, it was a terrifying sight that Yuno thought that she would only see being filmed on the news. Then again, she shared the same feelings for the catastrophe that broke out at her school. That was something that she would never be able to forget, even if she tried her best to erase it. While she watched, there was no way that her voice would reach the men who were trying to save the lives of those who were trapped in the building. Her feeble tries to call out and offer help were nothing on the other voices that drowned out her own. Slowly but surely, Yuno was beginning to grasp the truth. When it came to major problems like this, she could only serve as a bystander.

Just like before, when the girl tried to extend her hand out to the school that was filled to the brim with displaced orphans… Crying, scared children who just wanted to have a place that they could always call home. Yuno meant nothing to the situation- she was passed off by her teacher and told to get out of the way, essentially. This was just a bit more proof to toss up onto the mountain of it that already existed. Her intentions were as pure as could be, having the want to help others would be praised by nearly everyone. Considering the hell that she personally experienced, being within the range of such a trait was unexpected. Sadly, though, that is a personality trait that Yuno could not further. As much as she wished to lend a hand, playing the role of the hero was not fit for someone of her age. The harsh truth was, yes, she was limited to a witness. Feeling a strong sense of uselessness course over her, Yuno's pink eyes dropped, looking away from the blue building that was still ablaze. Unlike the girl, Yukki was still watching what was unfolding very closely.

There was a lot of coughing, choking and even people gasping for air. From what Yukki could tell, the floor had given out above and flaming rubble fell onto a lower section. This would keep happening- the fire was spreading rapidly and the lack of humidity or rain made it far worse. Firemen with a nearly fainted person's arms wrapped around their neck were not uncommon, they evacuated them from the area and then packed them onto a stretcher to bring to the hospital. Those were the ones who were practically knocking on death's door- they wore slightly charred clothing and their faces were covered in ashes. Fire hoses were aimed at the building too, they seemed to be focusing on the structure of the building that was specifically aimed for in the attack. Anyone who was able to still work was accompanied by one or two firemen as they dashed out of the door, trying to find their families and tell them that they were okay. In all, it was a complete mess but also what you would expect out of a disastrous fire. This also went for the gathering of spectators, they were exactly what you would expect. Yelling, screaming, asking whatever was out there determining their fate why they would strike them like this… To any normal person, such as Yuno, it hurt them to witness so much going wrong. For whatever reason though, Yukki's expression had not changed once from his half-eyed daze. Honestly, judging by his eyes and lowered eyebrows alone it was easy to tell that he was bored. This action was not enough to hype him up or concern him. Adrenaline was not present in his body and at one point he had let out a small yawn followed by a gentle stretch. Amidst the chaos, nobody picked up on how he was the only one who did not care much. He always blended in anyways- that is why taking on the title of the observer was so easy for him. Same old, same old… That was the type of mindset that Yukiteru conducted until something odd caught his attention. Yes, he spent so much time observing people that, when he captured a scene in his head, he could tell when something jutted out. Of course, he was not much better than other people when it came to this, but he was used to looking out for anything he could. So, when he noticed a dark figure move from behind the building and into a nearby alleyway, the boy raised an eyebrow. Suspicious behavior? Check. Out of place? Check. Yukki could tell that it may have had to do with that person or whatever they were affiliated with. Going against the wishes of the police force, Yukki did not try to reach out and tell them or phone them. He simply stood there, adjusted his beanie, and proceeded to watch his beloved try to come to terms with reality.

It did not take too long for the boy to grow tired of waiting for Yuno to determine if she should stay or walk away- they were just standing in the middle of a rippling crowd that ended up pushing him left and right. He loved her very much but facing something like this with many people was not his forte, he would much rather head off to Sakurami's plaza for once. From what he could gather, a big number of the residents who hung around there were currently shoving themselves here into one place. That, along with the others who usually came here, made for a very unpleasant situation that would surely scare the claustrophobic. Social situations were enough to alarm Yukki, but thankfully the phobia did not add onto his discomfort. Pushing himself out of his comfort zone, the boy took in a breath and approached Yuno, tapping her shoulder a few times in hopes that she would know that it was him and not someone bumping into her. She did turn, and with that, the boy hesitantly began, "I'd like to step away from here, Yuno… There are too many people and I don't like it very much." This caused the female to huff at Yukki- she could not fathom why he would feel the need to do that. Though, she did not disrespect him. Even with the stress that was weighing down her heart enough to cause her to snap at anyone who talked to her, Yuno kept her cool and kindly suggested that he walk away himself. "I have no plans to leave right now, Yukki…" She informed him as his view sunk to the ground. The change in his face was unmistakable- it was distinctly different from his other look, but she chose to ignore it and turned her attention back to what was going down. Her actions pried a sigh out of Yukiteru's chest, but he still found her to be very cute. It was not out of the ordinary for him just to look at her- Indeed, even when she was actively doing something, Yuno was still beautiful to him. He could not help but to look at her, scanning over her lustrous and flowing pink hair that trailed all the way up to her sparkling pink eyes. Appreciating her was an arduous task to the boy, truly. With that settled, Yukki knew that he would stay where he was and wait for Yuno no matter what.

Cruel, snarling flames reflected in the eyes of those who had tears running down their face. The number of mirrors increased when one of the beams in the upper floor gave out, which caused the steaming ash and rubble to fall and crush whoever was in it. It could be compared to what happened to the roof, and now the lower floors were going to suffer the same fate. There was nothing they could do- the fire was far too strong, the weather did not help and it was so cleverly planned that all that the citizens could do to help was watch and pray. Those attackers, whoever they were, knew how to properly formulate and carry out a smack to the city. Down the beams the fire went, dancing around it as if it planned to kick it over at any given second. Horrified faces watched as another beam gave way, and then the next. Three floors were down and there was not much left to salvage- the best call now was to get away before anything else went wrong. Alas, some dense people who acted on the want to be a hero tried to explain their view, that it was fine and that it was critical to keep going into the building to help anyone who may be trapped under rubble. More people were leaving the building than entering, but Yuno observed the saviors who entered or re-entered without so much as an inkling of fear in their spirits. Yuno could not help but to revere those people, that is what she could be to others. But there was something holding her back- it shackled her to the ground and she felt like she could not move an inch. It was not the crowd closing her in, no, it was most definitely fear. The girl did not take it very lightly- she was not weeping, though. This lack of courage was faced with anger towards herself, self hate if you will.

Further went the flames, and so did the support that the base of the building could provide. From below, a loud but dull snapping sound began to resound outside of the building, enough for everyone else to hear. It all happened so quickly but it meant so much- the front support on the left gave out, and when everyone noted that it was at the ground floor, shrill screams were forced out of their throat. A chain reaction came about- when one part the lowest point cracked the rest of the police station went with it. Down came the last floors that stood above the ground, and at last the mix mash of rubble and other unspeakable things crashed and became nothing but a pile of history. Not only did it contain many sharp pieces of wood and metal, it also hid thousands of documents under the hills of dust. Below all of that were many bodies, but nobody in the crowd could see them due to the dirt that had rushed forth once the structure fell. It was nearly impossible to see anything for a few minutes- all that Yuno could hear was screaming, intelligible muttering and coughing. It was a moment of complete panic, to say the least. Yuno scuttled backwards as she breathed the little particles of the past into her lungs, causing her to force them out through a series of painful coughs. This, along with her backpedaling, led to the girl bumping into many people until she rammed into someone who held her hand very firmly. They leaned forward, whispering a small "It's okay." in her ear. She knew the voice very well, of course, she did. It wanted her to calm down and wait until the initial dust cloud let up, and Yuno could not stop herself from thinking, "_What do I have to lose right now?"_. Forcing herself to halt her breathing for just a few seconds, Yuno pushed her body backwards and felt two sturdy arms wrap around her snugly. While it was going a little bit too far, the female did nothing to stop the person from doing what they did. They were just trying to help her, correct? Due to that, Yuno took their arm and held it to her mouth in an attempt to filter out any of the dust that she could as she let out a breath and coughed a few more times, causing her chest to ache with every rattle. As this happened, the noises around Yuno went on and the two still got pushed around here and there. From what it seemed, the person holding her was standing as still as he could. His feet were secured on the ground as he held Yuno, protecting her from the wild panic that was breaking out around them. At last, the blinding cloud started to let up as it scattered in all directions. Up, down, left, right, every angle in between those. The rubble had stayed within the area but the dirt had surely caused a scene. Yuno's first instinct was to rub the dirt out of her eyes so they stopped stinging so much, and when she regained her eyesight she blinked her teary and irritated eyes a few times.

Expectedly, two thin arms were wrapped around her lovingly. There was no visible movement in them- they did not shiver or shake in any way that Yuno could see. Slowly, Yuno reached for one of them and pushed it off of her so the boy's embrace was broken. From there, Yuno turned to look at Yukiteru. His eyes were closed before he was forced off of the girl- he was even leaning his head on her before it happened. While that did bother Yuno immensely- really, she did not give him the permission to get that close to her- it is not what irked her the most. Remaining angry towards him for what was meant to be a kind act would be wrong, but the lack of fear or any emotion at all other than affection was enough to make Yuno feel some sort of frustration towards him past what happened before. Was all that he could feel love for her? It is very clear that his heart belonged to her and only her, he made that statement through actions when they first met. Feeling love over other emotions was not right in Yuno's view though- it was beginning to not only get on her nerves but creep her out. Now, this was nothing new- their first meeting was already something that Yuno could only think up in a nightmare. But somehow, even though his motives seemed to be innocent enough, Yukiteru was only making the female more uneasy. A lack of emotion other than passion, a connection to bizarre and unexplainable events that occurred… The thing that tied it all together and made Yuno feel annoyed was the fact that there were no answers or reason behind it that she knew of. Everything was so confusing to her and there was so much stress and pressure that was set on her mind that she no longer knew what to think. Yelling, screaming, all of that was happening around the two as Yuno scanned Yukiteru's expression. Nothing, nothing but adoration in his eyes. Lowering her eyebrows, the girl turned away from the boy- pushing him away in the process. He allowed her to do so, stumbling backwards just a bit while he watched her storm off. There was no attempt to grip her shirt or hold her back with him, Yukki let her go without so much as a peep.

Alone again- it was funny, truly. Yuno constantly attempted to break away from whatever seemed to bring her down in the slightest. There was no rhyme or reason behind it other than the clean-cut fact that she felt a burning rage in her chest whenever the smallest thing picked at her. That could be various things such as things not going her way, her not being able to muster the strength and bravery to do something or even go against something… Perhaps it was just the deep-rooted sense of weakness and vulnerability that she had. This could be drawn back to her past and the abuse that she had to make it through on a daily basis. When she was stuck in that god-forsaken cage with no hope of getting out- yelling, no, screeching in her mother's direction and begging to be let out. That feeling of uselessness that led the girl to be forced to pick up fuzzballs in the corner of the cage and eat them and snack on the little bits provided by the tatami mat set by the cage for any forms of nutrition that she could get into her body… The thought alone was enough to stir up more annoyance within her, causing Yuno to let out a sharp breath and continue on her way. She was so weak- why? Why couldn't she do anything right? Why couldn't she stand up to Yukki and demand to know what was going on and why he loved her so much? All of this swirled in her head as Yuno went further and further away from the scene that she just faced. Her eyes were wet and it was no longer from the dirt that covered the outside layer, it was from herself. There were tears, they began to roll down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth and fisted her hands. Her face was scrunched up with diverse emotions that swirled together to create nothing but chaos in her thoughts. She wanted to yell, that is for sure. Letting a loud growl roll out of her throat would help relieve her anger for sure. It was clear that the flawless school idol had finally broken and now she wanted nothing more than to release everything that she was bundling up. Just as Yuno intended to do that, turning towards the brick wall that had followed her in her path to nowhere for over a minute, she felt a presence behind her. There, standing before her, was the male that she pushed away just a few minutes before. That is when things began to get very complicated- Yuno's brain was not sure whether it should push for rage or for anguish. Her heart ached in her chest as she looked over the boy, her breaths were quick and heated as if she was just about to snap and release all of her fury on the nearest surface. What faced her was quite the opposite though, as much as her instincts made her feel otherwise. Yukki was not a towering barricade that Yuno would find trouble in knocking over. If she were to lash out, he would most likely cower rather than act maturely and calm her. He was a puzzle, really, and that only made Yuno's internal war even more complicated. There was nothing that she could do to stop the need to stomp and throw a temper tantrum from welling up, the most that she could do was breathe. Nice, calm deep breaths.

Like before, it was almost like Yukiteru could sense that something was on Yuno's mind. It may have been the expression that she wore on her visage or the beads of sweat that started to carefully roll down her temples, causing a small tickling sensation to arise. Every fiber of his being wished to reach out and offer comfort, but something about the darkened pink color of her pupils stopped him from even trying. Yuno was not sure why he did not do a thing, it was as if he was frozen in time, just staring as a small, chilling wind snuck past the grip of the very hot day. The change in medium provoked Yuno to raise her gaze to the sky, and that is when she noticed that the once empty sky had clouds visibly treading in its field of control. The cold breeze had ceased and so did the blowing of Yuno's hair, resulting in her tearing her eyes away from the sky to look back at Yukki. There was something off about him for sure, he was staring at her but that was nothing out of the ordinary from what Yuno saw of him. Sealing her frustration back behind her mental walls, the female held her hand out and gently brushed it against the boy's in hopes of getting his attention. Judging by the way that he jumped when he felt her soft touch, concluding that he was simply dozing off or getting lost deep within his thoughts were both a plausible argument. If this were any other day, Yuno would take this instance as odd and begin to silently criticize the boy while hiding her inner mindset with an adorable grin. Dipping to that level would be laughable though, after all, Yuno had just bashed on herself earlier today for spacing out when it was very unlike her to do so. Gathering everything that she could to make herself appear at least somewhat collected after the obvious signs of anger that she just exhibited, Yuno smiled and quietly asked, "Is everything okay?" This, of course, pulled a reaction out of the previously statue-like boy. His eyes shone and he then blinked them a few times, ultimately closing them tight and covering his face in a pitiful effort to cover up his mix of shyness and embarrassment. By now, the reticent attitude that the boy showed Yuno did not phase her. It was normal, as normal as he would get anyways. Instead of being gifted with a very hesitant reaction that would take minutes to understand, she instead received a straightforward nod that answered her question. Even with that, it did not take very much to notice that something else was bugging the male. Due to that, Yuno let in another breath and inquired, "Are you telling the truth?"

This is where things began to go downhill, it started off very lightly at first with how Yukki reacted to the question that was given to him. There was a faint shift in his expression as if he did not think of being challenged like this. That was all that Yuno needed to tell that he was not telling the absolute truth, so she hoped to whatever was there that he would be true to her and apologize for not saying what was bothering him. Things did not go as planned though, not at all. Instead of having nearly the same scene that had just played out in her mind happen to her, Yukki instead grinned at her and gave her another nod followed by a nearly silent, "Yes I am." What came next could be compared to the breaking point of a volcano- the tension within it finally built up to the top which causes it to erupt and bring everyone in its path down. In this case, the victim happened to be Yukki. His eyes grew wide and fearful as Yuno felt a yell bubble up in her throat, and at last, she gave up and let it out. "I'm DONE with you and your stupid lies!" Snarled the girl as she started the process of letting everything out. Her previously forced friendly exterior was now gone and replaced with her genuine frustration. All of it came out in the form of toxic words that would strike through the heart of Yukiteru. "You've been nothing but creepy ever since you showed up and, really, I've given you so many chances to cut it out and act normal around me. But you haven't! You haven't even salvaged any of the chances that I gave you to make up for it!" The girl then took in a quick breath, stomping her foot on the concrete after the end of every word. "NOT. ONE. CHANCE." This was followed by a futile attempt to put a stop to her rage, but when the boy let out a small sound of despair it only reignited. "And DON'T YOU DARE try to tell me anything that could possibly make up. I don't want to hear it!" Her hands twitched after every phrase she let out- eventually, they traveled up her hair to the tiny red bows that kept her hair in place- in order to try to calm herself down, she tried to pull at the bows as hard as she could. All that it did was stretch the ribbon out a bit, causing a small tear to appear at the bottom of it. The new tear in the material caused the girl to exhale, ripping it off of her hair and throwing it. This did nothing against the bow, all that it did was cause it to lazily drift to the ground. The next ribbon was removed with a growl, causing Yuno's pink hair in the front of her face to disperse. It covered her clenched teeth and shielded her teary eyes from anyone who could possibly see them. Both of the ribbons that were rudely removed were free to the wind now- it could easily blow them away and yet Yuno paid no mind to it. No, she continued her hell of a temper tantrum that was conducted towards the quiet male.

"I'm DONE- FINISHED with you. No, everyone! I can't keep doing this anymore, I can't!" Squawked Yuno as she sluggishly brought her hands up to her head. Allowing her forehead to rest in her shaking hands, Yuno tried to cap up her inner thoughts again. This was beyond ironic- she called Yukki strange and yet she could not keep herself together. Yet another thing that fueled the flame that roared within her heart, really. "I-I'm tired of being so pathetic… I want to be able to do things without the help of others. It's so tiring, not being able to do a thing for yourself even though you feel as if you can." The loud volume that her voice was previously turned up to seemed to be dialed down not just one notch, but many. Yuno's composure had changed completely- what was once a tense and unmoving figure that bore closed teeth and fisted hands had devolved into a soft mess that was crying into their palms. She felt trapped, far more stuck than the cage ever made her feel. Nothing in her life ever went her way, even at school. There was something that always made her feel unhappy and no matter how much she acted on it nothing could be done. This damn survival game was just another painful reminder that she meant nearly nothing to the world. Years of abuse could not be put to an end because she could not stand up for herself properly- bullies who chose to spread rumors about Yuno and her amazing reputation also could not be stopped by her directly. Yukki and his loving shenanigans were yet another thing to be piled onto the list. All of these things were not able to be solved by Yuno, or so she thought. Upsetting? Frustrating? Yes, those words perfectly matched with the sloppy feelings that she had in her chest. Her lungs hitched with sobs, each one hurt a bit more than the last. Not only that, but her throat itched and stung due to the harsh coughing that she forced out of it earlier.

Whining was something that she never thought that she would be doing- actually, Yuno believed that she would never break down in front of anyone like this. Not her mother or her father, much less Yukki. And yet she was- each cry caused her body to jerk with pain both physically and mentally. Everyone had a breaking point and this so happened to be hers, it was bound to happen at some point... Yukki eyed the girl down as she tried to wipe her tears away- there were so many at this point that trying to dry them resulted in nothing useful happening. What once was a nearly emotionless, unfeeling face staring at her was now a pair of sorrowful eyes. Somehow, even with all of the hate that she had just let out, she was met with the part of Yukiteru that truly cared about her and her well being. He reached his soft hand out very carefully, giving Yuno enough time to swat it away if she wished to. He was met with little to no resistance. Since he had indirectly been given permission to comfort her, Yukki lightly placed his palm on Yuno's silky but damp chin- right by the bone so he could softly do away with her tears with his thumb. Yuno's feet stayed where they were, planted on the solid ground as her entire figure continued to shake. How was he still showing such kindness towards her after what she just did? It was immature, uncalled for, despicable… All of the words in the book could be used for what she just did, at least in her perspective. Even with what her actions made her seem like on the outside, it seemed as though Yukki could tell that she did not mean what she said completely. She lashed out like a little dog who felt as if it was pinned against a wall- frightened at the fact that it could not escape from what faced it. Giving her a slight smile that clearly had a bit of nervousness behind it, Yukki went on to tell her something that she did not anticipate on hearing. "I understand how you feel." He started, and once he did his very delicate touch on her face had vanished. There was no snarky response in store for the male, no, not at all. Yuno felt drained after her little breakdown, so much so that she had no desire to try to fight against him or cause another scene. Breathing in, she tried to let her tense body loosen up as she asked him, "Do you?"

Of course, she was given a nod from Yukiteru. Although he was usually a very anxious person who seemed to be quite dishonest at times, the lack of shakiness in his voice made Yuno feel something that she did not feel from him before. It was not fear, it was not anger, it was nothing like that. No, she felt as if he was finally telling her what was on his mind- there was nothing that went against the truth. Keeping the same subtle smile pasted on his visage, Yukki continued to make his point. "Yeah. I know how that feels. As in… Feeling like you can't do anything to help others or yourself- stuck. I know that it doesn't seem like I would, but I do- really." Yuno's eyes widened a bit while he spoke those words. Yes, she certainly did not expect him to say such a thing. He was the kind of boy who could do things for himself, after all- he was not afraid to act against something if it put him in danger. Standing up to the hypnotized students during the situation with Twelfth was not hard for him. Hell, he even kept his ground when talking to the diary users during the first meeting. While he did seem quite reckless at times, enough to get on Yuno's bad side, she could not stop herself from respecting him for that willingness he had. The willingness to take risks, even if it puts his safety of even his life on the line. In return to his words, Yuno mumbled: "I see…" Yukki took those two words as a green light to keep up with his talk. Without so much as closing his eyes or shifting uncomfortably like he would before, the next part came out. "You're right, really. It is frustrating. And there's nothing that you feel that you can do about it, correct? It feels like no matter what you try to do, nothing means a thing. You feel pathetic, I bet."

This was very unexpected, Yuno did not think that his words of comfort would strike a chord with her like this. Though the situation was surely different than whatever he experienced, the female was able to decipher that he felt, or already experienced something similar to what she was. Maybe it had to do with him being passed off as Sakurami Middle School's loner no matter what he did? Yuno could not tell and she surely would not find out, but either way, she got the point. He knew. The girl found herself nodding a bit, causing him to choose to try to finish up with the idea that he had. Before he did, Yukki quickly suggested that they continue walking. "I can walk you back to your house if you'd like..." He offered with an edge of anxiety, showing that his awkward spirit was still not gone from him. No, this was still the same boy from the school that Yuno attended. After just a bit of thought, Yuno concluded that she might as well go home. Nobody was going to be there, obviously- but she could take the time to relax in the air-conditioned home and charge her phone a bit, or even clean up like she wanted to before. So, as expected, she agreed and the two finally began to shuffle their feet as they headed in the direction of her humble abode. Before going back though, Yuno waddled over to her strained ribbons that only moved a few inches from where they landed. Swiftly, the girl tied her hair back as it was- it was a bit sloppy when compared to before but it was close enough. With that, Yuno walked back to Yukki's side and they both began their journey to her home.

There was not much silence after they started to head back, and the reason why was very apparent. Yukki was still not done with his thought, so starting with an insignificant squeak, he went on. "I've felt that too, as you can tell. What I learned is, even if it feels out of place, or even sort of dumb and cheesy. You need to take action more. I've learned that hesitating almost never helps." His gaze then got lowered to the sidewalk beneath their shoes- Yukki was not looking at Yuno any longer and it seemed as if his own thoughts were messing with his sensitivity. At that moment, a small but mighty cloud covered the sun above, cutting off the light that had been raining down on them. Another cold breeze blew through, waltzing right through both of their heads of hair. The cloud blew over quite quickly and that is when Yuno noted the army of clouds that seemed to be approaching from the north, yet the dry and brutal heat still stayed. Once the change in scenery was over, Yukki brought himself back to where he was with a small cough. "Right... It never works. All that it'll end up doing is holding those who support you and yourself back in multiple ways. If you want to get away from feeling so low, then please take that advice- do something about it. Make a change before it eats you from the inside and makes you do something that you regret." To follow up his words, Yukki gulped a bit and lightly tapped his finger on his cheek as he tried to brighten up the mood that he created, which came out in quite stiffly. "Yeah, t-taking action is the best way to counter that feeling of patheticness. As I like to remind myself from time to time, just walk with confidence…"

What a significant but short speech, really. Yuno did not know what to make out from it- she knew what his point was but it just seemed like something that she would say she would do and never end up doing properly. A change of heart that would forever make her act on everything that she wanted is not what would come of this, but it still was enough to wake her up at least a little bit. Yes, even if she had so many swirling feelings about Yukki that she could not pin down, she could still make sense of what he said. As a result, the girl found the corners of her mouth twitching and then moving upwards as she looked at the now red-faced boy. The last words that he uttered seemed to be unplanned and now he was very flustered- it was as if he was set that he had just committed a social crime. He did not though, Yukki had actually lifted Yuno up high enough in spirits to not feel down enough to keep crying or practically biting at nothing. One thing was learned from this, at least for Yuno- she was not alone. So little was known about the boy, the connections he had to her diary and why he loved her like he did… But as stated before, it was evident that he cared about her. There was no ill in that, truly- at least as far as Yuno could tell. Anyways, she was not just going to stand there and think, her mouth finally opened as she spilled her thoughts on the discussion at hand. "Thank you for that, Yukki. I understand what you said- and you didn't say anything wrong, trust me." Letting in a breath of relief, perhaps that she managed to have something chase away the negativity in her mind- temporarily that is, Yuno's smile turned to a grin as she leaned her body forward just a bit. Her pink eyes still met his slightly off blue eyes- they were only strange due to how much warmth he felt in his cheeks, she was sure of that. "I'm not alone, I guess. You get what it feels like too." A nod was given to her in return, which caused her to chuckle.

With everything said, Yukki nervously reached for his beanie and adjusted it as he spoke his next question- it came out as a murmur, almost. "If you d-don't mind me asking, uh… What was bothering you anyways?" This caught Yuno off guard- it was not just the change in Yukki's composure since that could be detected quite easily. It had to do with how sudden the question is- it was so unexpected that Yuno had next to no clue how to answer. There was an honest one that she could spurt, but she was not very sure if she was comfortable with saying it or not. Talking about her mother and what happened during the morning was not something that she wished to remind herself of. Not only was it very unpleasant to recall, but it was simply just a topic that did not need to be spoken about- even if Yukki may or may not have known about it already. After all, if he followed her to the city there's no telling if he saw her walk out of the hospital or not. Due to the conflict that she had over deciding if it was best to say it or not, Yuno chose to dismiss the thought and come up with something else that she could use in its place. Yeah, as hypocritical as it was to tell a lie after what she got angry at Yukki over, the female finally opened her mouth to speak of the first thing that she could think of. "Oh, it's… Well, it has to do with my diary, honestly." Claimed Yuno as she raised her hands to tighten up her bows that she had just put back on a few minutes ago. Yukki raised an eyebrow at her response, he even cocked his head just a bit to show that he wanted to know what she meant by it. The moment that Yuno was done taking care of her hair accessories which made it look far less messy, she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and let out, "Well you see… When we first met, you know- when I apparently misunderstood the entire thing. The diary that I had shifted and I never understood why- it's all about you and well," her voice began to grow more and more quiet as she got closer to the end- she knew that it could potentially be offensive. "I never wrote about you before, no offense. My diary was about my family and what we did together, not you." Her view then averted from Yukki to the sky as she finished summing up what her concerns were. "I just feel like everyone has their diary for a reason and… Mine is just a little bit forced, you know?" That was not the first thing on her mind, but it was certainly something that came up from time to time. It was good that she brought it up now that she thought on it.

Yukki, of course, recoiled a bit at what came out of her mouth and apologized profusely. "I-I'm going to be very honest, I'm not sure why that happened to you. I'm so sorry if you didn't want a diary about me- I really am… I know that I'm not interesting and that it may be a hindrance rather than be of help." Great, of course, he was taking it that way- Yuno could tell that he was going to turn and take the negative route rather than give her a logical explanation. But, from what she could see, he was not very sure why it happened either. Maybe he had nothing to do with it and it was just some prank that Reisuke decided to pull, or maybe even that mischievous god of time and space himself. That was when it hit her- right, Yukki seemed to be well acquainted with Deus! If she brought that up there is a chance that he could talk to him one on one and pry an answer out of his old lips. There was next to no hesitance from the Yuno, her mouth opened with haste but she made sure not to seem too desperate for an answer. She kept her cool in that regard, just proceeding to walk the route that they were set on. "Hey, but you know that Deus guy pretty well, don't you?" Yuno mentioned while she looked back at the boy. His shoulders seemed to jump a bit at the inquiry, and any sign that he was beginning to space out once more was eliminated. Yes, two blue spheres were turned towards Yuno's direction as she awaited a proper answer from the shy male. "W-Well yes, I do...", this response was not much of a shocker- after yesterday it was very well known that he does have some sort of relationship with Deus, not as a stranger but as a friend. The amount of anxiety that radiated from Yukki is what got to Yuno, but it may just be something that he could not help while socializing- even when he knew the answer to something. "U-Um, I'll definitely bring it up next time I talk to him! That may be in a bit though…" To stop her from jumping to any conclusions, Yukki quickly added, "Not a long time though! I m-meant when I get home or something after I walk you home and all. I don't want to split up here, I'd rather go the whole way." The thought was sweet- once again, Yukki was displaying how much he cherished her- it was so deep-rooted that he could not bear the thought of letting her go home on her own. To this, Yuno sighed and determined that it was best to drop it and enjoy the rest of their walk. Yukiteru did not deserve to have this weight on his shoulders when he already lent her a hand earlier. Everything that he did for her today was so kindhearted and generous- the least that Yuno could do was cut it out. In order to end the conversation off and, perhaps, initiate a new and lighter one that would make both parties feel less stressed- Yuno hummed, "Alright! Take your time- I'm not in any rush to figure that out." A smile was received from the male once that was said.

They took step after step after the initial conversation was done- the silence between the duo was so painfully obvious that it was possible to hear the "tip-tap" that their shoes made against the ground. Their attention was turned away from each other- Yuno was looking towards the ground and Yukki was viewing the trees on the other side of the street. A few cars buzzed by here and there, showing that the city was still active despite what happened just a little bit ago. Yukki exhaled as he took out his diary to read the future- if this were any time in the past he would surely start writing everything that he was observing, at lightning speeds too- compared to what others were capable of in the typing area. The smudge of dark blue caught Yuno's awareness from the corner of her eye, making her look up towards the male. Indeed, he was doing what he usually did. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary- that was most likely going to be the theme of their walk for the next few moments or maybe even the entire time. While the idea of striking up another chat topic worked with Yuno pretty well, she knew that they did not have much time to do it anyways. Yukki would most likely end up following his diary for more than ten minutes without talking and there were only fifteen minutes on the clock- that is all Yuno needed to get home from where they were. No reason to try to bother Yukki, not only because he was so absorbed in watching over the future, but also because of how hypocritical she already seemed to be. She already has done enough to damage things that she swore in the past- it was just so hard because she felt confused. This was what a good portion of the walk was filled with- Yuno thinking about why she kept hopping left and right when it came to her thoughts on, not just Yukki, but everything. The two were so involved with what they were doing- the future was being checked and morals were being scanned over… The duo became so focused that they did not notice movement from the other line of pavement- the one across the road that really was not too far off from them.

When Yukki finally took note of what was happening, he quickly took in a breath and grabbed Yuno's hand, urging her to pick up the pace with him. There was something off and Yuno could tell- maybe he read something in the future that seemed off? Obviously, because his eyes said it all. Gulping, Yuno followed his unsaid directions and began to move faster than they were. The detectable motion then became quite apparent since it did not appear to just the side of them but also in front of them. As the future shifted and Yukki moved his diary downwards and hid it under his dart bag- the screen still poked out but he was clearly trying to be much more stealthy than before. His eyes trembled a bit when he read it, but it was followed by a slow blink along with his eyebrows scrunching up to form a serious look. Yuno wanted to ask what was going on, she really did, but it was not the time for that. Very sneakily, Yukki slipped his phone into his dart bag and closed it with one hand so whatever was watching over them could not see that he had it on him. Looking at the situation at a base level, Yuno could tell that they did not have a DEAD END flag- if they did Yukki would most likely have reacted in a far stronger way that would make Yuno feel uneasy about him and his thought process again. Something was definitely up though- because when she looked up in front of her she saw two tall men who were clothed in your everyday black suit approaching them. Their solid, respectable dark dress shoes clanked on the sidewalk as they inched closer and their black coverings over their mouths blew in the wind- their dark sunglasses also reflected the sun that still blazed above everyone in the city. Yuno wanted to stop, but Yukki did not- instead, he planned to back up. To make sure that it was safe, Yuno turned her head and, to her dismay, there were also two men behind them. When she looked over, one more was crossing the street with a gun in hand. There were practically stuck between a rock and a hard place- if they had weapons in their possession there was not very much that could be done. Yukki probably expected that they would put up a fight right away, that was clear by how much his grip tightened around her hand. It got to the point where it hurt, but Yuno did not dare to move her hand- doing that was the last thing that she wanted to do when facing something that was potentially dangerous like this.

Upon further investigation, Yuno noticed that they did not only have guns. No, there were other weapons stuffed in the pockets of their long suits. They ranged from tear gas to tasers- for the most part, the objects that they were armed with seemed to be meant to detain people and not kill them. The guns though- those stuck out to Yuno and made her feel like there was something more to this. Something that they all shared, other than firearms, were similar name tags that were stuck into the top right of their slick black dressing. Each one had a name on it, and below them was the symbol that matched that of the Sakurami Police Force. It looked to be official, they even bore names on them that may match actual people who worked there too. A man who had a blonde and messy head of hair wore a tag that had the name "Nishijima, Masumi" on it and the others had what seemed to be real names on them too. Weird, but it got even more out of the ordinary when one of them opened their mouth. There was not much emotion in their tone but they were obviously serious about the job that they were given, which Yuno did not know of yet. "Amano Yukiteru and Gasai Yuno, correct?", one of them asked as they kept their hand in their pocket, presumably trying to be ready for any sudden movements from them with their gun. They knew their names which just threw Yuno off even more- they were already iffy as real police officers but this just made it even more unbelievable. Yuno looked over to Yukki what he would do, and instead of lashing out he calmly nodded and responded, "Yes sir." It was beyond Yuno- why would he agree with them and show them that those names were indeed theirs? If this were any other time, Yukki would have run away- at least that is what she believed. The look that he wore had exceeded the "serious" category. He was set on doing something, and as expected, Yuno could not figure out what it was. Whatever it was, it involved her and she felt just as stuck as before. Act, he said. But she could not even make herself think of doing so.

"Good." The same male went on, and then he turned to the others to tell them something. "These are the kids that we have to bring back, surround them and make sure that they can't get away." The way that he worded that made Yuno feel like something was very wrong- these were not police officers. No, they seemed to be a part of something else that had nothing to do with it. So why did they have those name tags pinned into their coverings like that? This observation caused Yuno to back up a bit, just enough to put her shoulder against Yukki's. Of course, he squeezed her hand to try to indirectly assure her that everything was going to be okay. It meant nothing though- when the circle started to close in on them Yuno could not push back the slight feeling of fear that she had. It was not enough to hold her back from doing anything, but it surely made her think that her life may be in jeopardy. Despite the clear-cut fact that they were a threat to the two, they continued to try to connect to them and tell them that they worked for a new group that was going to help Sakurami City. "You two should feel blessed, our boss- the most honorable man in the city, specifically asked for you two to come in and help him with a project of his." Yukki did not buy it, not at all. He wished to move forward and try to pummel the life out of these people rather than bothering to even attempt to trust them.

If he was going to do something about it, Yuno knew that she would have to too- she tried to convey this by looking in his direction but his eyes were still focused on what stood before them. There was no working with him, he was far too lost in thought to sync with. They were so disconnected that Yuno had no idea that Yukki was going to let go and grab one of them by the shoulders- as soon as he did, he turned him towards the others and tried to use him to stop the others from attacking him. But damn, he was far stronger than Yukki thought he would be- when his hand traveled into his top pocket to grab the gun, he felt a crushing grip on his wrist that made him snarl. It hurt like hell but he managed to slip his hand out of it and smack the person, causing them to stop trying to grab at him for just a moment so he had time to grab the gun. With that, he wrapped his arm around the man and forced him to take a few steps back with him. An attempt to break out would cause him to be held by the neck in a position that would cut off the airway- he would surely begin to choke if that was the case. This caused the man to basically become a hostage, at least that is how he treated it. With that, Yukki's voice rang out to make something clear to the five. "If you don't let us go then I'll kill him!" He then jerked his body to the side to force a cough out of the man's throat, showing that he was serious. "Just step away, drop the guns, I'll drop mine and let us go home without a fight! If you don't want any strife, that is…" Yuno viewed the process that Yukki tried to use to escape this, but she did not dare to move a muscle. Her arms were stiff and so were her legs- the state that it was in was comparable to a statue.

Against what Yukki put his confidence in, the men tried to carry out a counter-attack to go against what he just did. It did not come from the five who surrounded them- no. Yuno tried her best to call out to warn him, but was too late… Another person who was a part of the group came behind him and tried to tear him off of the one that he had a death grip on. This did not come very easily, after all, Yukki put up one tough fight- kicking at him and even trying to bite his hand to force him to let go. His strength was not a joke, but it was not enough for what he was faced with- a grown man who has been through far more physical activities than he has. Yukki was put against the ground and treated quite roughly- even getting him to go down in the first place was hard. It started with a few pushes, which must have hurt Yukki's back- and once his knees gave out and he fell, the speed at which he tumbled at was increased by the man who decided to shove him downwards by his head. His hat was torn off and the man's fingers dug into Yukki's scalp- so any movement would pull at his hair and hurt him. Though he was apprehended and should have given in, Yukki still did his best to struggle. Yuno could have helped, and she tried to, really. When she found herself running forward with her hands out as if she planned to try to strange the person who had him on the ground, she was grabbed by the arms and held back by two others. "This girl is just as much as a threat as the boy! Take them to the building!" Barked the man who pulled Yuno back by the arms as hard as he could. It hurt- it hurt so much, it felt like her bones were going to break from being bent the wrong way. Unlike Yukki, her body went limp as soon as she was held back. She wanted to save Yukiteru the moment that he was knocked down- that was a given. But it was impossible when they were outnumbered like this. Two teenagers against a group of adult males who wielded a collection of different weapons- that was an unfair fight that could not be won, no matter how much they struggled. They were two little bugs who were stuck in the web of a spider, essentially.

Yet Yukki continued to fight- his power was enough to lift himself from the ground just a little bit, enough to grab at the man's arm and bend his arm in the wrong way, causing a crack to slip past the bone. It was not broken, but it surely hurt due to the groan of pain that came from his throat. That was followed up with more struggling which caused the male to reach the end of his patience. It happened very fast, so much so that Yuno had trouble comprehending what happened at first. First, he let go of Yukki and shot himself away from him to keep himself safe from any harm. Then, whipping out something from his pocket that she could not make out at first, the man thrust his arm forward into Yukki's skin- and in the same second his body twitched and spazzed until it suddenly went still. It took a few blinks, but Yuno noticed what it was and found herself screeching his name and forcing herself forward in an attempt to support him. He was just tazed. The electrical shock was enough to make his figure stop what it was doing and cease any further wrestling. The slight rise and fall of his chest was not stopped, but his arms and legs were so still that it creeped Yuno out. He must have fainted from the sudden attack, that explains why his strained body went soft in such a little amount of time. There was not much room for her to look at the scene though- after all, she had started to fight back which certainly irritated the men. She was pulled back with a lot of force, and when they chose to let her go due to the way that she was contorting her body to get out of the hold that she was in, Yuno dashed along and tried to stay by Yukki's side to see if he was okay. His eyes were closed and his face looked like it was at peace- he definitely went out cold due to what happened. When she made a note of that, Yuno was stopped by a barricade in slick black clothing. He looked down at her, towering over her. Yuno was not scared, no, she was just at a loss at what else to do. At that moment, while she was trying to think of something to say or act on, a hand cruelly met her cheek causing her to cry out. The girl was slapped very hard, it was tough enough to leave a stinging red mark on the middle of it. When the initial pain was over and done with, it was replaced by a strong aching and soreness that made her want to rub where his open palm made contact.

They were ruthless, that is for sure- but there has not been a shift in the future yet. Judging by the way that Yukki reacted to it, the one that they were given was not something that involved them falling short of survival but it was still dangerous and, clearly, very painful. After the blow that she was given on her cheek, Yuno stood where she was without another peep. It was enough to bring her out of reality, almost- she was spacing out again but this time it was during a time where she should not have. The female wished that she could muster the motivation to keep struggling for a miracle like Yukki did, but she did not- no, it was like her dress shoes were drenched in super glue and unable to be picked up off of the surface that she stood upon. There was a fire burning in her, even with this shroud covering her courage- it finally burned through when she noticed that they were dragging Yukki's rag-doll like body into a car that had pulled up. The dark blue car was beaten up and the license plate was ripped off, which was already against the law. There were red and blue lights on the roof but none of them seemed to work- in all it seemed like a very broken down police car that was breathing its final bits of life. The two men who forced Yukki into the car drove off, and that is when Yuno finally broke through the fog that covered her mind and tried to speak up once again. "Where are you taking him? I want to know!" Demanded Yuno as she fisted her hands and moved her body forward- almost threatening to punch them if they did not tell her. She was not the one who was in control of the situation though- they had pulled off a checkmate and trapped the two teens were stuck and had to listen to them. They were the ones with the weapons and the stronger physical force- compared to them, the future meant nothing. Not even a change would work- it would only result in them being caught by the tail and carried back to their sight. Expectedly, an answer was not thrown her way. Her arms were grabbed ahold of, one by one by two different men. They hauled her to another car- it was a lighter blue than the last but it was nearly as close to death as the other one. The girl was escorted into the car- two of the males sat next to her to assure that she did not try to open the door and stumble out of the moving car and the other two sat in the front.

Yes, all six men were heading back to some area that Yuno did not know about- and god was the drive long and grueling. Actually, those adjectives did not even begin to describe how horrible it was. It was silent- the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the tires bumping up and down when the road was a bit rocky. It was terrifying- Yuno could not check her diary to see if Yukki was okay and she also could not tell if she was being driven to her death or not. She took the ten minutes that she had in this tense circumstance to think about what happened. Right, they had no chance to break away from this. They were cornered from the start- if Yukki had his hands on a weapon or had an ounce of hope that he could take them out on his own he would have. It was as if he knew that they would end up hurting him a lot if he tried to punch them like he did his peers back during what happened in their school. That did not stop him from trying to get out of their hold when they had him trapped under their thumbs- he struggled with all of his might and still did not succeed. There was nothing that they could possibly do with the conditions that were given and whoever planned this knew exactly what they were doing. It was obvious that it had to do with the survival game- Yuno was not that dumb or oblivious to it anymore. Even though she tried to stand up and bite at them like a little frightened dog who was backed into a corner, the girl could not forgive herself for being so weak. Maybe if she managed to sync with Yukki and attack them at the same time and get that gun- maybe they would have gotten away then and avoided whatever they were going to face next. It did not matter now, it was already done and now they had to stand up to what was following this. Yuno sighed, causing the attention to be brought onto her. They were definitely serious about what they were doing, so much so that if a small sound left her lips they felt the need to eye her down to get her to stay quiet. Since there was nothing else to let her mind wander off to other than death, Yuno looked over towards the window and out at the road that they were driving down. House after house, building after building- those all passed and Yuno was able to pick them up quite easily. The car was driving towards the other half of the city- one that Yuno had never been allowed to visit since her mother swore that those who lived in it were completely different from the others on their side. In Yuno's view, that was not possible- everyone lived the same kind of life and it was most likely just stupid assumption brought up by her. This was beginning to get to Yuno though- this organization was clearly from this side, was there really a difference? There could not be- there was no difference in the standards of living between the two sides. Poverty was not a factor in Sakurami City and the crime rate was the same on both sides. Whatever this was, it had to do with something that happened.

Yuno watched as they pulled in view of a hospital- one that she had never seen in her life. Instead of having a white exterior that screamed "hospital", it was gray and had many balconies and wires hanging from them. In her view, it was a bit broken down- and that is when she noted the cranes and other construction machines that were within close proximity to it. There were unmanned- each one was unmoving and the building seemed to be frozen in time. From what she could tell, this hospital was new and it was never finished- but why? As they neared it, the lack of cracks and damages made the fact that it was new very apparent. The sidewalk was very smooth and had no dents- no graffiti stained any of the walls or structures that they passed by as the car began to pull into the incomplete parking lot. The parking garage was also not finished- only the base of it was sketched out so they knew how big it would be, it seemed. The lack of cars and citizens made for a very unsettling situation- this area must have been off-limits and nobody thought of coming into it and breaking the law. Or, perhaps, it was something far different from that. That came into Yuno's mind when she saw an impressive amount of men and women standing outside of the building- there was a decent amount of them standing outside and patrolling the premises for anyone who chose to trespass. Their uniforms seemed to be the same- for whatever reason they chose to keep their faces covered as if they were ashamed of themselves for being there. Yuno would have thought about the subject more, but the car pulled up to what would be the emergency room stop and the people who were in the car began to move her out with force. She was pushed, and when she tried to stand her ground and make their violent shoving cease, they only tried harder- causing her to stumble forward and nearly trip over her own feet.

There was no way to tell how many eyes were on Yuno as she walked past the mass gathering of men and women with shaded glasses that blocked out their pupils- it unnerved Yuno but, gosh, what would being scared do for her now? Like Yukki said, hesitating would only hold her back- and that especially applied to this situation where her life could be on the line. Through the sliding doors, they went, and they made it past a welcoming room with a fountain that did not work- employees sat on the edges of it, most likely glaring at Yuno. When she stepped into the waiting room, the first thing that stood out was a huge sign above the front desk. It read "Opening soon: West Sakurami Hospital". That is when it hit her- it was so sudden that it caused her head to ache just a little bit. Right, there was a huge headline about this place in the news. Actually, it was followed and titled breaking news for five days straight. Five arduous days followed the original news report- a group that was deemed to be a "terrorist" group chose to single in on this hospital that was planned to open in a few months- there was a lack of defense at the time and, due to this, they managed to keep the construction workers at bay for days. They were held hostage as the police commenced many pathetic attacks that did nothing to bring their spirits down. Yuno recalled that nobody was happy at them at the time- they were called every bad name in the book. A disgrace, dishonorable, horrible, all of that. A very painful time indeed- families of the workers were scared to death that they would never see their beloveds again. Everyone tried to protest and sign petitions that would be directed towards the mayor of the city, but no matter what they said the police force did not use an insane amount of violence to force them to let go. No, in the mayor's words, "Excessive force would mean that we are diving down to their level- we simply need to work something out with them that satisfies their requirements." Of course, more demonstrations followed that and it seemed like nobody was happy- it exposed the corruption in the police force and how the leader of Sakurami was far too kind. "We're under attack!" They would say, "we need to save the people who are being held at gunpoint! It doesn't matter what we do- we just have to do something!"

But nothing constructive was done. No, apparently the conflict was settled through peace. Sakurami City signed away the new hospital in return for the hostages. It ended very nicely, which was very surprising, but now there was an alleged terrorist group in the city that had their own personal "base of operations" or "headquarters", perce. The mayor swore that he would do something about them but it was said so privately that only business owners heard about it. How did Yuno know? That is simple- her father owned the biggest bank in the city and this news was also relayed to him. "Don't be scared", they were told, "not many people are going to move out of the city and business will proceed as normal". Ironically, the way in which the city dealt with its crime is what caused the financial recess- so many people began to leave the city and not come back, warning tourists not to visit due to how dangerous it is and how laid back the police were that businesses were hit very hard. The Gasai Bank was another thing that felt the tremors, which caused the entire chain reaction that brought Saika and Yuno into a deep and dark spiral downwards into despair. It seemed to only hurt the status of the city and yet they continued, and look at it now. A threatening group took over a hospital and many people decided to evacuate the area in case they decide to lash out at them and kill them for no reason whatsoever. Their morals were unknown and coexisting with them in such a close area was hard to do. It did its toll on the city and now Yuno could see why- this group was definitely malicious. They basically kidnapped Yuno and Yukki without any remorse, and not only that… It sounded like some sort of cult- they treated their boss like the most amazing person who has ever lived. As if his presence alone was an irreplaceable gift. Yes, what an amazing present it was- a boss who was willing to have his workers hurt two kids to bring them in for who knows what. Not only that, taking over a hospital was flat out wrong- who knows who it could have saved or what it could have accomplished? In all, Yuno felt herself being overcome with a deep sense of hatred and that was only accelerated when she saw the body of Yukki laid on the frigid tile floor.

Fortunately, he was no longer surrounded by vicious people who did not mind hurting him. No, he was safe from that. The best part was that Yukki seemed to finally be returning to the land of the living- his hands twitched here and there and his figure seemed to grow more stiff by the minute. It looked like it hurt- they were both so uncomfortable and yet they could do nothing about it. "Y-Yukki!" She called out as quietly as she could, trying to get his attention and possibly get his eyes to slip open, but Yuno was grabbed by the hair and yanked back, causing her to hoot in pain and let out an insignificant, "would you stop that?" They did not listen, only pulling her even farther from the recovering male, even yanking out a few of her long strands of pink hair in the process. She would never comprehend why they were so forceful with them- what was she doing wrong? Nothing, Yuno was only worrying about someone who just took the time to cheer her up when she felt very low. It seemed hopeless- they would not let her talk, it was to the point where they held their gloved hands over her mouth so that everything she said came out as a muffled growl. The girl, growing very desperate to wake Yukki up fully, copied what he did and tried to dig her teeth into one of the person's fingers- it worked too, which caused him to let go of her mouth. While she had the chance, Yuno took in one more sharp breath and yelled his name this time. "Yukki, wake up!" Following that, she was tugged backwards again with a small yelp. It was evident that she was giving it her all, and that seemed to come back and treat her well because Yukki finally began to stir even more than he was before she came into the room. Judging by his movements, his muscles were most likely throbbing and his limbs seemed to be heavy to him. Regardless, he turned his head from one side to the other only to see how badly they were treating Yuno. The red mark on her face stood out to him and the tension that they were putting on her head made his chest burn. As sore as it was, Yukki heaved himself from the ground and held himself up with his shaky elbows. His eyes were wide and nearly bloodshot and his teeth were clenched- oh no, Yuno saw it and knew that he was going to practically flip out at what was happening.

Those who were behind him prepared to knock him down once he got up, but he had gone from zero to one hundred so fast that they did not react in time. Yukki ran towards Yuno- and at that moment the details of his face become far more apparent than before. His expression was shocking to see- so much anger was present in his eyes that you could almost see the flame that ignited within them. His body, though working, was still writhing in pain here and there was if he was really pushing his limits. Unlike before, he took action without thinking- ramming his bony shoulder into one of the men who worked hard at keeping Yuno from moving. Her hair was free to flow once again as Yukki fell to the ground with the person that he tackled onto the very solid floor. He did not give them a break, smacking and punching them in the face over and over- knocking his nose bone out of place and causing it to begin to gush light red blood that trailed down his lip, rolling down his cheek and leaving a mark as it traveled. As he let out his reckless but focused wrath towards the man, Yukki screeched a few things that made Yuno and the others far too unsettled to do anything to help the employee. "IF YOU EVER LAY A HAND ON HER LIKE THAT AGAIN- IF YOU EVER DARE TO- I'LL MAKE YOU FEEL EVERY BIT OF PAIN THAT YOU MADE HER FEEL BUT FAR WORSE!" With that, he knocked the glasses off of his face and untied the bandanna around his mouth and then kept slamming his hard knuckles into the victim's visage. Blood covered Yukki's clenched hands as he slammed his hand into the man's eye next- tears began to come out of his eyes due to the pain and he feared that he would get a terrible black eye from the trauma that the area had just suffered. This beating continued, Yukki's hand bounced off of his slippery cheeks that were covered in a mix of tears and blood- leaving his face to become quite swollen. If he had enough strength in him, Yukki would have knocked out his teeth if he could. The rage that he felt was still present and he would have surely beaten the life out of the man if he could. But he did not have time- he had to catch his breath; he was exhausted already due to the state of his body after the electrical shock earlier. Standing up slowly, Yukki looked down on the man one more time and gave him one last very hard kick to the jaw- as hard as he could muster, causing the man to fall unconscious due to the sheer amount of shock that he experienced.

It took a moment for the surprise to settle in enough for people to realize what happened was actually true. A fourteen-year-old boy single-handedly took down the man who went as far as pulling Yuno's hair- there was a mix of disbelief, fear, and outrage. Yuno backpedaled away from the boy who now had blood-covered fingers, as did the others who were in the room. A few guns were directed at him here and there but they feared to pull the trigger with the mindset that he would somehow dodge it and come after them next. Talk about hilarious- they used to be all high and mighty until they took note of the physical prowess that the boy held. Yuno, who always had various opinions on the male, did not know how to feel herself. Yes, he was working to protect her and he meant no harm with what he did, at least in her case. But something about it was downright terrifying- he was willing to beat almost all of the life out of someone just because they were rough with her. That just goes to show you how much he cares about her. Yukki turned to look at the view before him- around eight guns were pointed at him- fingers were planted on the triggers of each. Those who decided to point it at him were not scared, they were very hesitant though. That hesitance was furthered when he gave them a smirk and smugly let out a few words that they did not expect to hear someone at gunpoint say. "You aren't going to shoot me." Talk about overconfident- one slip of their finger and his life would either be ended or be brought very close to it! At least, that is what Yuno thought as she watched him- there was not so much as a hint of anxiety in his visage. Social situations? The fear of messing up in front of Yuno? Those were what brought him fear, enough to send him over and give him a panic attack. But having a scary amount of guns held in his direction did not phase him very much, in fact, he simply laughed in their faces which caused many eyebrows to scrunch up in frustration.

"Is there something w-wrong?" Yukki asked innocently, putting his finger on his bottom lip as if he truly did not understand why they were not shooting, even going as far as digging up his normal awkward self to taunt them even more. "Is there something holding you back? Something that you're afraid of?" With that, Yukki grinned and struggled to hold back another chuckle, but he forced it down his throat with a staged frown. "O-Oh, I'm so sorry...! I didn't mean to do anything to frame you all, but…" The pout became far too hard to hold down- his lips curled up into another smirk as he admitted, "You're all in a lot of trouble already, there's no way to avoid it, I'm sorry to say." Yuno, of course, did not understand what he meant by what he was saying- how did he "frame them", exactly? That was not all, he was still testing his luck completely- so many guns were still held his way. If they chose to shoot at him then there was no cheating death this time. The female chose that it was best to not speak right now, he clearly had something up his sleeve and Yuno did not want to do something to ruin it. It was as if time was kept still for a moment- weapons were still pointed at Yukki but he simply stood there with a confident smile as he seemed to await their decision: shoot or wait? In Yuno's eyes, they had no reason to wait if they were their enemies, she did not want anything to happen of course but- for the life of her, she just could not figure out the fault that they made that was holding them back from killing them both.

Realization only came when she heard a tapping noise resound from behind a mass of employees- with that noise came the smooth separation between them as they gave a certain someone space to walk through them. Standing before her and Yukki was a face, or mask, that she did not expect to see here. When she turned her gaze to Yukki to see if he expected this, it was very clear that he did by the smile he had- it did not move from its place, even after this turn of events. "Twelfth." Yukki started as his body grew a bit more relaxed- yes, he certainly did anticipate this happening. The man, who shockingly did not throw his arms up or act as energetically as he did during the survival game's meeting, simply let out a small "hmph" as his mask looked left and right- seemingly at nothing since it was known that he could not see. Once that was done, Twelfth stepped forward with his slouched over composure- his cape swayed side to side as he approached the duo. This was the opposite of what Yuno was used to- what she witnessed out of this man personality-wise, for the most part, was the part of him who bore a proud personality. He would not shut up and it broke his mysterious appearance completely. But this- it was similar to when they first met him at their school. He was quiet and his breath was hissy- he did not look out for others and was not afraid to hurt someone if they got in the way of his thinking- or his "leader".

Wait a minute- that is when Yuno made the connection between him and this group. It is obvious that they all look up to someone. The descriptions vary: Twelfth called whoever it was a god and the others referred to him as a higher up. Either way, this group respected whoever this was very much and believed that he was some sort of deity who would change the world. According to the servants of this man, Yuno and Yukki were brought here to talk to him- a meeting. This was beginning to pull at Yuno's nerves more and more, just who was this person? There was next to no time to think, because Twelfth let his voice sound at last, loud enough for the others to be able to listen. "I could hear the commotion from here, and let me tell you all… The boss isn't going to be happy with any of you for being so tough on these two." Apparently, even after all that he did to try to kill him, the moment that this man put his foot down and told them not to harm them it suddenly became a sin to him. His confidence from his previous victory did not even shine through whatever this side of him was and there was no sign of malice. Yes, unlike what he acted like before, Twelfth had no intention to assault them. No hypnotizing, no attacking- nothing. This must have been what Yukki knew about- it was a simple but risky tactic, simply playing off of the future that he was given in his diary. He knew that they were not going to shoot him because Twelfth was going to wander into the room and call them out for going against their apparent plan, which also comes with a great deal of consequences. Yuno found herself letting out a breath of relief when she noticed how this came full circle- as of right now things seemed to be looking up for them. But the girl was missing the full picture- they were going to be guided even deeper into the unfinished hospital to talk to whoever this person was. She did not know if he was evil or kind-spirited- nothing.

"Come on." Twelfth motioned the duo to collect themselves and come with him to some remote part of the hospital. Yuno was very iffy about the demand, that could be said without a doubt. But, when she saw Yukki start to walk in his direction- bloody hands and all, Yuno realized that she had no choice in the matter. While his plan seemed to succeed, that did not excuse Yukki for what he did- the female was still nervous and the others were outraged. One even stood up for the violence that was brought down on the man, raising his voice and grunting as he pointed towards the mess that was his face, "What about him? You're really going to let that kid get away with bashing one of our employees to the grou-" His claim was rudely cut off by a laugh from Twelfth. "That was your own fault- you went against our god so of course karma was bound to come back around and bite you." With no reluctance whatsoever, the hunched over male kept walking, directing the teens to accompany him on his walk to the other side of the hospital. They obliged, going with him without another word. They were not stopped by anyone else- no employee wished to take a risk such as standing in the way.

Into the hallways they went, cruising down various corridors that meant nothing to them. There were so many rooms that could have been used by sick patients- so many rooms set up for hospital employees, and yet none of them were even thought of. It was as if they were going to be lost forever, after all, the grip that this group had on this building could be compared to a death grip. Yukki, who Yuno expected to stay as quiet as possible, opened his mouth to break the silence between the three- yes, he chose to talk to Twelfth a bit rather than say nothing at all. "So, you have exceptional hearing- don't you?" Yukki quizzed as he looked directly at the huddled over man. His attention did not once meet his bloodied hands, it was as if he forgot that he attacked someone- either that or he did not care in the slightest. Either way, Yuno would not be very shocked- what got to her was how he was willing to converse with him at all. What did Yukki think would come out of it? This is the same person who attacked them yesterday- if he expected anything within the same category as an answer then Yuno would be baffled. That is how she thought though because Yukki did end up getting some sort of response. While it was very short, Twelfth nodded and hummed a nearly silent "mmhm". Nothing more than that was given to the boy, but it seemed to be the only reminder that he needed in order to turn to Yuno and begin to talk to her. Trying to give her an indirect message, Yukki took out his diary and turned it in her direction. At first, Yuno did not understand what he was trying to do- there was another user standing right in front of them and taking it out like this would end with nothing but disaster! That was the exact opposite of what he wanted the female to think- he wanted her to take out her diary and talk to him on it. That is when it hit her- right, Twelfth could not read anything that they wrote but could most likely hear anything that they even tried to say. While their typing would be obvious to him since it creates such a monotone but repetitive noise, he most likely did not care enough to interfere with what they were doing. So, Yuno took out her diary for the first time during this situation and decided to read into the future first before she texted Yukki since she was so behind.

Unlike the future that he had before, this one was far more chaotic and Yuno felt pretty bad for not checking in sooner. It was important but she just could not convince herself that it was. Adapting to the lifestyle that the survival game expected was very difficult and Yuno was most definitely struggling. Anyways, her eyes scanned over the font on her phone and her heart nearly dropped- not at what was to come but what came before. Instinctively, she took a closer look at Yukki's visage- according to her diary he was beat up quite brutally when he was shoved into the car. Yes, he managed to bring up the strength to fight back against them even after his body was electrocuted by the taser- in fact, he had pulled the man who was driving back by the neck so hard that they almost crashed. This resulted in them having to make a stop with him in the car still, and they had bashed into his face and neck pretty badly. Looking closer at his cheeks and nose, Yuno could clearly see red marks that would soon turn to bruises- he even had a little black mark under his eye that signified that he must have suffered a nasty blow to the face. It looked like it stung to say the least, and having that blunt pain along with the fatigue that came from being tased must have been horrid. Her first text to the boy went as such, which yes, she was the one who spoke first. "_What did they do to you? Are you okay?" _Was all that it read, and yet it carried some sort of concern with it that made Yukki feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside- any signs of her worrying about him made him feel somewhat better than he was.

In order to double-check, Yukki looked up towards the man who was leading them to make sure that he was not picking up any of the sounds that were coming from their phones. When the coast was clear, the boy turned his attention back down to the small keyboard which he started tapping at promptly in order to give Yuno the answer that she was waiting for. When the text sent and she got the chance to read it, Yuno felt her heart practically shift. What she expected to read did not involve a very brutal but well thought out plan from Yukki. "_Thanks for worrying… I decided to push myself and let them do whatever they wanted to do to me to stop me from moving. So they ended up being so frightened that I would hurt them or cause their death that they beat me to a pulp." _That was then followed up with another message which Yuno received instantly without a notification sound since she had yet to go off of the screen- nor did she have any desire to. "_It hurt a lot, I can admit that… But if I didn't do that then fear would have not been a factor to them- since they broke the rules of the order that they were given they all believe that they are going to suffer as I did. Simple psychological tricks." _The idea did make sense to Yuno, but it did not take much brainpower to actually figure it out. Yes, it was a good call to do that or else they may have not gotten out of the lobby as easily as they did, but… Yuno did not like the idea of Yukki getting that hurt for a plan- not only was it very reckless but it was also dangerous to him and it could potentially affect him later on. A body can only take so much, and as fourteen-year-olds they had to be especially cautious about that fact. They were still growing and, due to that, their figures were much more fragile. Injuries could heal fast, that is the upside, but their physical strength was no match for any of the adults who they may have to face. Due to this mindset, Yuno ended up typing a response with it in mind. "_It isn't worth it to get yourself hurt. I understand why you chose to do it but I'm not okay with it."_

Yukiteru gave her a rosy-cheeked smile in return for her concern- it clearly flattered him which is not the route that she was trying to take with the situation. Keeping the same look plastered on his face, Yukki peered back down at his diary and tip-tapped one more message on his mildly bloody keyboard for Yuno to read over. "_I'm glad that you care this much about me. I know that it's risky but I'll do anything to make sure that you get out safe. When I saw them mistreating you earlier I felt so angry that I had to do what I did."_ In the moment that Yuno saw what he wrote, she rolled her eyes and let out a small breath of defeat. There was no getting to him, apparently. His concern for her was so strong that even the use of rational words would not scratch the surface of his determination to defend her. For their sake, Yuno pushed back her frustration and tried to pass it off for now. Her smirk that was conducted towards Yukki, albeit forced, was enough to satisfy him and make him close his phone with his grisly fingers. Yuno did the same with her clean hands, bringing her phone to her pocket and squaring it away so no harm could come to it as long as it stayed there. The duo may have not been linked in their thought processes or moralities but it seemed to be enough for them to not be at each other's throats. Well, Yukki would never do that to her but Yuno felt as if she was close to treating him as such a few times. It may have been part of her attitude, but for the most part, she felt like it was not her fault that she was like this.

The rest of their walk was nearly as strenuous as the ride to the hospital, mentally that is. Yuno had trouble getting her mind to stop drifting off into a pessimistic mindset that dragged her down. Something like that would not aid her or Yukki with whatever they were going to be meeting. Down the aisles they went, and Yuno found herself staring at the multiple doors and turns- what a complex structure this was. It shared a problem that her local hospital had- the paths between each room and floor were far too confusing. They twisted and turned and you could not help but wonder where the next elevator was to rise to the floor that you needed to get to. That was not the central topic of her thoughts though, not at all. What Yuno was worrying about was who they were allegedly about to confront. In her mind, she pictured a man who was also shrouded in black or maybe even a mask similar to Twelfth- threatening, malevolent and chock full of evil thoughts that nobody would be able to come up with on their own. Maybe he would aim a gun at them as soon as they arrived in the room that they were being taken into and shoot at them without any regrets in his soul. But that is when another thought intruded, pushing that one out of the way so Yuno could focus on it. Yukki did not seem to be on edge, it was as if he knew that this was the most secure line that they could take- could she trust his intuition? Well, there was not very much that she could do to escape it now anyways. All that mattered was that there was no DEAD END flag in sight, and even if the future did shift to give them one they would put up one mean fight to survive. That was the most that the female could pick out of this thinking session before Twelfth began to slow down to a stop. It took six flights of stairs, which yes, he did not take them onto the elevator- and many hallways until they reached a door that stood out from the rest. It was not white or gray like the other ones and it was not made of wood- no. It was made of metal- bolts were wedged into every part of the wall that it could be and for the most part the room seemed to be very secure. Talk about peculiar- Yuno and Yukki looked it over and seemed to have different thoughts on it. Of course, in the girl's point of view, there would not be anything good past this door. She expected to see a mess of a room with bullets and blood scattered all over- but little did she know…

Twelfth nodded to the two and, once again conflicting against the personality that he had shown before, told them to be on their best behavior while facing his boss. "Don't think that I won't hesitate to kill you two if you try anything funny." Warned the man- he then waited for some sort of answer which he ended up getting from Yukiteru. "Yes, we get it." Yukki worded loud and clear to make him understand that they were not up to anything bad- there were no ill intentions here! Yuno was not sure if she agreed with that or not, while she did agree with the idea of not fighting there was no part of her that wished to be here. No, she would rather be home. The door was opened for them with a slight creak and the two males stepped. Yuno reluctantly approached it but, without looking in to see what was waiting for her, she looked over to the view that was across from here. Many window panes sat on the other side, making looking outside one more time almost effortless. The mostly clear sky still hung over the world but it was clear that the sun was starting to finish rising- soon, it would begin to set. Judging by the position of the sun, it had to be past noon, maybe even later than that. It was hard to tell by the sun alone and Yuno failed to check her phone's time before this. There was no going back now, no time to bother looking into it. Taking one last look at the gray, towering clouds that were marching further into the atmosphere from a distance. Shutting her eyes- Yuno allowed more air to enter her lungs in order to puff her chest out. Right, just stay calm and walk forward. That is what she did, and before the girl knew it she was met to a very bright room that held one person other than the trio who had walked through the hospital.

It was hard to describe the feeling that the room gave off- it was most definitely an office but it had an inviting feeling to it, almost. It drew visitors in with its soft buzzing white lights overhead- the white noise produced by the oscillating fan on the only desk in the room was also another calming factor. The temperature was perfect, it was not muggy nor was it freezing. Different species of plants were scattered across the room as decoration- in fact, that was the only part of it that served as decor. Any walls in sight were barren and the only other objects in the room were your everyday office supplies- filing cabinets, shelves, all of that. There was a severe lack of windows or fresh air, and that was especially noticeable when Twelfth shut the door behind them. The moment that Yuno heard a small click emit from the doorknob, she knew very well that they had been locked in. Yukki continued to keep his cool as Twelfth gradually shuffled over to someone who was sitting comfortably in the chair before the desk. It was turned away from them, whoever it was either did not notice them yet or did not bother to acknowledge them. There was not as much as a sound from Yuno- she did not care if he did not notice them at all, really. The two, who stood at the other side of the desk, whispered a conversation amongst each other. It had to do with the failure that their workers had when it came to complying with their plans. Twelfth went on, saying how horrible their performance was. They beat the two that the boss, who was the one that he was speaking to, asked to have brought to him unscathed. With this, the higher up man took in a lungful of smoke from a cigarette that he had in his possession. Letting out the exhaust with a harsh puff, the man spun on his chair to face the teenagers. This is when Yuno chose to note his physical traits. Greenish brown eyes, shiny black hair that traveled through his scalp only to be tied into a small ponytail on the top. His outfit did not match the others, no, not at all. He was dressed in a dark blue suit that had a white shirt with a tie under it. It seemed to be the uniform for high ranks at the police station- but why did he have it if he was a part of this group? Yuno did not understand, but that thought process was cut off short when the person rose from his chair. He towered over them, causing Yuno to feel quite short and pathetic compared to him.

Instead of making any hasty moves that could be dangerous to them, the man held out his hand and expected them to give him a firm handshake. "Gasai Yuno, Amano Yukiteru, nice to meet you two." Surprisingly, Yukki did not hesitate to put his hand in his and shake it. It was over as suddenly as it happened, and then the attention shifted over to Yuno. She was not very sure as to why they were being kind to this person who seemed to be working with someone who tried to kill them, but she followed Yukki's lead and shook his hand after he did. "Hey, Twelfth. Mind scooting out two chairs for these folks? They had to go through one hell of a ride just to get here, we owe them something." As expected, the skinny masked man accepted the orders instantly and dragged himself over to two separate tables that were strangely placed against the wall. He did not pick up the chairs, he dragged them which caused the metal to scrape against the floor loudly. Yuno wanted to cover her ears or ask him to lift it up but, once again, she did not want to start anything so she took the ear grinding sound as well as she could. Once the chairs were set up, the person who stood behind the desk closed his eyes and sat down. "Have a seat, I need to talk to you two." Said the man in a very gentle nature. Yukki relaxed on the chair once he sat and Yuno did the same just a few seconds after. The three were now in proper places to have a meeting or an interview- whatever this was. The very first thing that he seemed to do was look at the condition of both of them- when he noticed the painful red mark on Yuno's cheek and Yukki's beat up face he could not help but sigh and shake his head. "Man… Nobody can follow orders around here, can they?" He then opened his eyes and took in another long hiss of a breath of his cigarette. Following that, he exhaled and rubbed the end of it into the ashtray that rested below him to snuff the flame out. Smoke surrounded the area just a bit but the fan did a great job at blowing it away from them to give them some sort of fresh air to take in. "Listen." Began the adult as he put his hands on the desk softly. "I know that my men beat you up real bad and treated you far worse than we would ever treat a set of guests. So please, let me get you two a bag of ice and maybe even a few painkillers. Must hurt very bad, and I apologize." Without a word from the two, the seemingly worried and ashamed man looked at his underling, Twelfth. "Fetch these two a bag of ice and napkins to go along with it so it doesn't freeze them. Thanks in advance." His tone was very reserved, there was a lack of "chaos" in it which is the opposite of what Yuno thought. Twelfth bowed his head at the man and mumbled an "of course." No questions, no worries, nothing. It seemed as if he did not want to be a burden to his boss- he acted without reluctance- unlocking the door and leaving the three in the room to discuss whatever it was that the man planned.

When all was said and done and the proper atmosphere was created for the conversation to start, the person coughed to make sure that the attention was completely set on him. "Alright, well let me start off by introducing myself. It wouldn't be too fair if I knew you two and didn't bother saying mine." Down his hands went on the desk again as he pronounced his name for them. "Kurusu Keigo. Feel free to call me Keigo if the last name doesn't settle with ya." How bizarre- the man, Keigo, seemed to be comfortable with them using his first name rather than his last. Yuno could not help but to wonder why that was the case, but Yukki seemed to get it completely, making his knowledge known with a small nod. The hum of the table fan continued as Keigo took in that the two were aware of his name. Right, now it was time to commence the discussion for real. He decided to start it off nice and easy it seemed, and the part that Yuno did not anticipate was him being quite honest. "Look, I'm sorry like I said before. I know that my 'following' treated you very cruelly and, truthfully, I'm very disappointed in them." This was followed by a huff from the man which lacked the smoke this time around. Since the air was clear to inhale, Yuno took in enough of a breath to his saddened words. "Why did they do that though?" It is true- the girl did not understand why things happened like they did, but that seemed to be a common theme shared amongst other situations that broke out in this chain of events. Why was the police station set ablaze, and why were her and Yukiteru hoisted away in such a rude manner? Why was Tweflth here and why did it seem like this man who commanded the user who established himself as their enemy did not wish to hurt them? There were so many "whys" swirling around Yuno's head, but the biggest one that stood out against the others was very apparent- "Why us?" thought she, as she averted her eyes to look at the male who was nervously picking at the zipper to his sweatshirt- how awkward. Despite what he was doing, Keigo was able to give Yuno a fairly straightforward answer that she could use to soothe her curiosity.

"Good question, but let me tell you, it has a lengthy story behind it." Due to his words, the man braced himself for what would come next- right, he has to give them a proper response to such a complicated story. Even though it would prove to be very difficult to explain, he still chose to do his best, just furthering the unexpected trustworthiness that his character gave off. It did not come without a pained expression though, and there was even a hint of sorrow in his tone that only complimented the darker feeling of what he had to say next. "It's… Yeah, an earful. I assume that Sakurami City has made no attempt to articulate the news- after all, it would stir up a lot of drama. I get that, I get that- but I feel like it would be better for them to talk about the little tragedy that we had." Once Keigo had finished up his introduction, he reached for his pack of cigarettes and stuffed them into his front pocket, just to hide them away for future use. Yuno's pink eyes followed his hand, and when it finished moving she instinctively asked what was bothering her- it had been since they got to this topic. "I see, but if you don't mind me asking… What happened?" Noticing that her questions were more on the demanding side became clear to Yuno almost instantly after she asked that, though she chose to not allow it to phase her. The man, who seemed to know that the longer that he delayed his story the more that it would further the female's interest, let out a roaring laugh. "I know that you want to know- just give me a moment to think, will ya?" Joked Keigo, who once again leaned forward on his desk. His composure showed that he was very relaxed, it was as if he was comfortable in front of both Yuno and Yukki. The belief that they were sitting in a safe situation began to seep into Yuno's mind, and due to that, a small smile began to creep up on her visage. The moment that Keigo's brown eyes met her smirk, he let out one last chuckle and gave in. Now was the time to speak- a cozy yet weak bond had been formed between the two.

Yes, and so his explanation began. Eyeing the two down with his brown eyes that Yuno was still trying her best to get used to, Keigo's lips slipped open and came what she was waiting for. "So I can see that the mayor chose to hide this from the news, which is pretty sad…" Started the man who stabilized his arms just a little bit so his elbows could hold his upper body up with the help of the desk. "I'll try my best to shorten it for you two. Basically, the police force had a little… quarrel, perce. I was caught right in the middle of it and so were the others here- it became such a problem that it caused a huge rift to open up. Which, y'know, did quite a number on us." With a small click from his mouth, Keigo reached the end of his commentary. From the look that he bore, it was only enough to scratch the surface. This did not stop Yuno from daring to chip in though, throwing in a single inquiry that picked at her after he spoke. "Something like that happened and… Sakurami City didn't even say anything?" Challenged the female who looked far more skeptical than she was before. Clearly, her question was entertaining to Keigo because he let out another chuckle before responding with a, "you tell me." Truth be told, Yuno did not hear as much as a peep about this "breaking news", or at least what she believed would be. The idea of the detectives and cops in the beloved city being on the weak side was a known fact- not only by her but by everyone. In fact, it became a very common joke for her peers to bring up during school- a laugh here, a giggle there… Nobody seemed to take it seriously though, and what was being brought to light in this conversation was enough to make Yuno's idea of the topic change. Perhaps it is because she heard so little about it- who knows? Either way, a cough slipped past Keigo's throat and a rattling breath accompanied it, signaling that he was planning to extend on the news that he delivered just a little bit more. While it was enough to turn Yuno's attention back in his direction, her view had also picked something else up as it refocused. It was a little bit concerning- enough to make the female's breath catch. There was something about how Yukiteru was staring Keigo down- his eyes were sharp, light blue, and distant as if he did not even spare the man an ounce of trust. It was as if his opinion on the man differed from Yuno- which woke up another part of her mind. What if she was being a fool for playing along with his little story game? Even though a bit of concern began to poke at Yuno's heart, she gulped a bit and shoved that feeling down just to keep paying attention to Keigo.

"This fine city has become quite corrupt, hasn't it?" Asked the blue-suited male as he cocked his head just a little bit. "The morals that our mayor had and ours did not match up at all, and then came the strife. There was no way for us to get along, so we split." His right hand then traveled to his tie below, which he pulled on and tightened slightly. As soon as he stopped, Yuno frowned more than she was before and wondered out loud, "So there was some sort of fight in the force, but wasn't there anything that you could have done? Maybe you could have done something that wouldn't involve you going down this path…" Her words were truthful and they reflected her view on not only the situation but life- it was as if she believed that there was always a better route for people, even if they were to do the best thing. The perspective that she had was shot down quite quickly by Keigo, starting with his small but hopeless sigh. "Believe me, I- no, all of us, would have gone about the entire situation differently if we were given the chance to." Was that the truth? Distinguishing between facts and fiction proved to be a struggle to Yuno, but anyone who was facing such a saddened man would trust him. But, there was also a certain factor that sat in front of that. Right, the survival game was a proper reason to be doubtful- but could that be applied to this person? Yes, Twelfth was around but that could always be some crazy coincidence. Maybe it was all some huge misunderstanding that arose due to the sheer amount of paranoia that the two teens felt- it could very well be that way. That is how Yuno began to think until she heard the grinding sound of a chair being pushed back against the floor, breaking the silence in its entirety. Her scrutiny was brought back to the boy who had been sitting patiently beside her throughout the mini discussion. His ice-like eyes still stayed pasted on his face as a shy smile formed on his lips. "U-Um…" He began as his fingers finally stopped dancing with the zipper that hung off of his shirt- they went limp and fell to his lap, where they then rested. "I'm very sorry that something so terrible happened to you, I never heard about that." Admitted he, which shocked Yuno. Yukki, the observer, did not hear about this story- how strange. She anticipated for it to be something that he knew about already and could shrug off easily, but it seemed like that was not the case.

Though, it was as if there was a tense atmosphere that was going right over Yuno's head- because both Yukki and Keigo were staring at each other in a way that did not appear to be friendly. It conflicted against what Yuno felt, but not a single word left her throat. With an eerie smirk, Keigo continued to act like nothing was up with the teen whose eyes were practically stabbing through him. With nothing but a calm smile created by his curled lips, the respectful man went on- but this time, there was almost a touch of desperation in his voice. "No need to feel so bad. Things are tough, that's for sure- but everything is getting better for us." Confirmed he, as his eyes remained pasted on Yukki. There was no change in his composure, but there was most definitely a shift inside of Yukki. Stinging eyes that had a color that could be compared to the mass amounts of snow and ice that may show up outside someone's home during the winter were stuck on Keigo- the feeling that they provided was nothing but a chill that could only be caused by a frigid breeze. Below the pair of icy spheres was that same damn grin that Yukiteru always wore. Whether he was as gleeful as could be or standing on the edge of a cliff that served as the last of his sanity, his mouth was always curved upwards. It gave off the feeling that nothing was ailing him, but this false safety was only pushed away as the conversation that the two shared proceeded. Putting an end to what he was saying before, Keigo's lips opened and out came the next phrases. "We're very lucky, really. This hospital was a godsend for us. Nobody was hurt in the process of retrieving it either- materials were returned, I made sure of it." Of course, Yuno would look at this action that the man claimed he did as something that was very kindhearted- how nice of him, some would say. But, clearly, the big idea could not be ignored in this. Him, Twelfth, and his other supporters hijacked this hospital and it surely did some type of damage to the city. Whether it be sick people who were going to be transferred there as patients or him mumbling lie after lie- something was off. And, in that moment, everything changed- starting with a sudden blur shooting forward from the corner of the female's view.

Leaning forward in his chair, almost to the point where his back could be considered hunched over, Yukki looked at the ex-detective with sparkling eyes and that gosh darn grin that was obviously his most favored look in his closet of expressions. It was as if there was a splash of adoration and amazement on his visage- as if what Keigo was telling them about truly reached his heart and tickled it enough for him to fall victim to respecting him. Something about it, as expected, got to the male and made him recoil in disgust- how creepy. While he was in the process of keeping his distance, Yukki's mouth shot open as he bubbled something that he or Yuno did not expect. "It sounds so difficult, and I'm very sorry like I said… Is there anything that we can do for you?" His voice sounded so still and pleasing to the ear that most people would shrug him off as fine- just an adorable boy who occasionally got a little bit too close. But, upon further inspection, his eyes were beginning to become quite a bit bloodshot and a small bead of sweat was forming on the top of one of his temples. His pupils quivered to further this look- other than that, Yukki seemed to be fine. As Yuno angled herself forward to look into his chilly eyes, it was swiftly noted that he did not look at her. No, his gaze was set on Keigo and only Keigo. Sluggishly, his lips opened once more as one final raspy word pushed its way out of his throat. "Anything…?" There was definitely something up with him- and it not only caused the suited man to push his chair back a little bit with his leg, but it also caused Yuno to let out a hushed gasp. If this were to be left alone, something bad would surely follow- and even with this in mind, Yuno found her lips practically being sealed shut. Her body refused to move despite the amount of pressure she was putting on it in her head. Was this fear, or something else that was gripping her figure and holding her back?

The air that engulfed the room was completely different from what it was just a few minutes ago. It was still tense, but there was also a painful amount of distrust between both Keigo and Yukiteru- and even without any conversation, it could absolutely be picked out. Yuno's gaze went from Keigo, to Yukki, and then back at the door that made a squeaking noise behind the trio. In came the tall and slender male who wore the mask that the girl had come to hate so much. Without a chirp or even a hiss from his mouth under the bulky covering, Twelfth walked straight and held his hand out, revealing his black leather gloves that had spiky edges to each finger. Realizing that he could not see, Yuno pathetically whispered a thank you and took what he had in his hand. Yes, he was told to get a bag of ice a few minutes ago and it was done fairly quickly- napkin and all. At the time, the stinging was not a problem to Yuno since she managed to turn her mind away from it, but now that she was reminded about it- the unpleasant pins and needles on her cheek progressively came back into being. Due to this, the ice went on her cheek without hesitation. It started with an uncomfortable sensation that outdid the last one, but over time the pain began to be soothed by the ice- it felt mended, almost. Although that problem was taken care of, the pounding issue at hand was still present. Right, something was still going on between the two males who sat at opposite sides of the desk that divided them. They exchanged glares, but they were heavily hidden by the fake cheerfulness that they both chose to show on top of it. It was as if Keigo took note of the magnitude of the situation because at last, he took off his own mask- one that he was using to hide his true colors, it was not visible but it still existed. Yuno watched as the man's grin faded, and his eyebrows also changed- lowering enough to squint his eyes. Reaching for another cigarette in his pocket- Keigo grabbed it and lit it quickly- taking in a breath of the dirty smoke right when he lit it. Part of him still appeared to be fairly friendly, but it certainly did not shine as much as it did before.

Smoke once again shrouded the bright room, tainting it just enough for Yuno to accidentally take in a breathful of the exhaust and force it out of her lungs with a cough. Things were about to change, and that was clear just by the addition of smoke in the air- the inclusion of such a thing in Keigo's hand caused him to appear far more threatening, sinister even. Starting to show his true intentions, the man parted his lips and commenced. "So, you got me." Was what he first started off by saying- and that, of course, was enough to signify that Yuno's thoughts on him were not accurate to who he really is. This was something that Yukiteru predicted though- and what made his proper guess even more wondrous was the lack of the use of his Indiscriminate Diary. How did he know that something was wrong without double-checking? It must have been a lucky guess- it had to be, all that he was doing was messing around and not focusing on the situation at hand before he spoke up. Anyways, the truth continued to be rolled out before Yuno as Keigo blew out another steady stream of black smoke. "My intentions aren't as bad as they seem though, I can tell you that much. That boy is overreacting." It was as if he was trying to turn the blame onto Yukiteru to get Yuno to side with him, and it did not take much of a brain to figure that out. Squinting her eyes, Yuno let out a quiet snarl and said, "Then why did you bring us here- and why did you lie?" Keigo could sense the uncertainty in her voice, the poor female must have felt very betrayed over something so small, causing him to smirk at her. His ominous expression still remained, which made her stomach feel like it was tied into a knot on the spot.

"That's easy- I heard about a… game awhile back." Following his confession, Keigo looked in Twelfth's direction. That only settled how he would have heard something about the game- of course, one of his most loyal followers happened to be a diary user. But, even with that type of reasoning in mind, there was still something very fishy about how Keigo was acting. Yuno did not let her guard down this time around- this man was a liar and anyone who did such a thing to her once would surely have trouble regaining that initial trust. Lies were something that were present in her life since the beginning of her new adopted one- having someone slip a few little ones here and there was enough to make her distance herself from them. With her cautions set high, Yuno listened to what else Keigo had to say. "The survival game- you know it, I know it… Hell, all four of us do." Claimed the man as he pointed at the voice recorder that Twelfth heaved with him whenever the time was right. "You two have diaries just like he does, that is what he told me, at least. And I thought that, maybe, you two could join me." There was so little that came with the base of what he just spoke them- In Yuno's eyes, he only wished to have them join him so he could use their diaries and kill them when he was done with them. Due to that and the scathing intuition that had been brought out of her, Yuno suddenly demanded, "But why- why do you need us to help you? What use could you get out of us? And plus…" Her fists then tightened as she found herself shifting in a way that nearly made her fall out of her chair- but instead of looking shocked, she moved her figure forward and gave the man a serious look. It was clear by the lack of shine in her eyes and her scrunched up eyebrows that she was not playing around. "Why should we trust you?"

Tilting his head a bit, Keigo asked Yuno a very blunt question in return. "Why not? If the survival game is as detrimental as my follower says it is, then you two don't have much to lose. You might as well join us, It's not like I wasn't telling the truth to hurt you." This was the type of response that Yuno did not want to hear, and it happened to poke at one of the last nerves that tied her temper together. With a cruel voice that was cold to the touch, Yuno promptly growled a "No! That isn't enough to win me over- It isn't." Things were not going as planned, and that was a given, proven by Keigo's changing expression. Part of him still wanted to hang onto his patience and continue to reason with the teenager, but another side of him seemed to want to come out and yell- it would surely soothe the pressure that he felt in his chest. Although his composure was slowly starting to run low on backing- clenched teeth, forced smile, all of that… He still proceeded with his attempts, attempting to throw out one more reason that the duo should place their trust into his hands. "How about this? I'll make sure that you two are kept safe- We have our own little haven in this hospital and, surely, nobody would try to mess with you two if you just…" Going on about why it is best to go with them was his initial idea of what to do next, but that was cut short by a hushed voice that came out of the blue. Telling who it was did not take very much this time around- the straightforward words that rang out throughout the room were from the male who had been sitting next to Yuno the entire time. His right arm was out, presumably to push his beloved back into her chair- it was a pathetic attempt to calm her but his bitter face was not kept a secret. Pure rage had not taken control yet, but just a glance at him was enough to tell that something was going wrong in his mind. Yuno was not able to tell what was picking at him right away, but when he finally muttered the truth, each person who surrounded him nearly choked on their breath. "Why do you insist on lying when it's so obvious, Fourth?"

Yuno unsurprisingly reacted to this almost as soon as it was spoken, challenging her "ally" once he asserted his view. "Y-Yukki? Wait- how can you be sure that it's him?" Barked the female, as her rounded fists slowly loosened. While she did not like the man very much due to his white lies, making such a major claim seemed to be completely bogus. An answer was not given right away due to the boy seemingly observing his surroundings- what a horrible time to do so! But, when he was done, his mouth slipped open and he murmured, "If he wasn't Fourth, both him and Twelfth would not have tensed up like they did. Your cover is blown, nice try though. You're a diary user just like we are, Kurusu Keigo." It was so unnatural to hear him speak in such a serious tone- this must have been one of his other personalities that he did not show very much. Being awkward was normal for him, and being delirious was not new to her either. But, hearing the male speak in such a severe tone that practically cried danger was something that she was not yet used to. Along with his odd behavior was a pair of distant blue eyes. They were not exactly frost colored like before, but they lacked life and were far darker than his usual color. This was not looking very good- not just for her, no, this could be said for everyone in the room. Yukiteru himself was at risk also, any minor actions could very well get him killed. After all, Yuno could not tell how Keigo would respond to the boy's call. It was quite clear that Keigo wanted to talk, but Yukki had already dully turned to Yuno- looking her over with his dead eyes. "If you haven't noticed, those two are obviously teammates. I know that I saw you, Fourth. The veil alone isn't enough to hide you." As expected, Yuno picked up on what he was trying to tell her just a few seconds after he said it. Right…

_-Her attention was then turned back to the tallest contestant who had stepped off of his panel close to Yuno and made his way over to someone else. He was speaking to Twelfth which baffled her. That must have meant that they knew each other at least a little bit- otherwise they would not bother with any sort of communication.-_

Yes! In that instant, everything clicked in place. Yuno felt like a sudden weight was taken off of her shoulders- not the kind that took away from her stress, but that very annoying one that fizzed when someone felt like they did not know something that was right in front of their face. Though, this did not come without a cost, as the female found herself feeling quite dumb after not putting her finger on it sooner. Really, she stared at the two as they inched towards each other and began to spoke- she even made a well-educated guess that other people were beginning to form alliances off of them! Scrunching up her eyes, Yuno pushed her foot against the floor to back her chair up. There was a burning feeling that she had in her heard- it made her want to backpedal and get out of this hospital as soon as possible. Not only did she feel terribly unsafe, but the reason why they were brought here in the first place had nothing to do with helping them. No, it was just to benefit Fourth and Twelfth- they wished to get their hands on Yuno and Yukki's diaries to manipulate and use them for who knows what? Keigo detected her movement as soon as it happened- it did not even take the ear-wrenching sound of the metal against the solid ground to catch his attention. At that very moment, life threw yet another trump card the duo's way. Gritting his teeth, Keigo let out his own snarl as he lifted up his fists and send them flying onto the desk below. This happened once, and then again- and once he was done his initial temper tantrum, the man lifted his gaze and began to rant about something that Yuno nor Yukki had anything to do with. It was as if it was all about his life- as if this was his breaking point and he finally reached it after all of this time.

"I told you- I KNEW that I shouldn't have brought in a pair of sorry kids into this office!" Yelled Keigo as his clenched fists hit the desk with more force than the last blow- it increased in strength as he talked and rambled about his life even more than he did. "Kids are a terrible excuse for a human- they NEVER LISTEN to a DAMN THING you tell them to do- why even fucking bother with them?" Talk about furious- curse words were beginning to be tossed out of the grown man's quivering lips, and even with the use of them Yuno still could not understand what caused him to snap. Maybe it was that they figured him out so soon? There was not much to get out of the situation with his plan though- at least that is what Yuno believed, after all, asking for two teenagers to join you on your quest when you are meant to be enemies who are fighting to the death does not seem like a very well structured plan. There had to be more to what was going down in front of her face, yet she had no desire to figure out what it was. The first instinct that the girl had was to proceed to gain distance between her and Keigo, but Yukki did not budge and would also not let go of her wrist- which he had grabbed ahold of as soon as she began the process of getting away. Yuno had every intention to yank her hand away from her ally, but she was also paralyzed by the frenzied Fourth. The span of his frustration did not show any sign of ending, and expectedly, he went off much more. "If you two don't work with us and behave, which includes shutting your mouths and not giving us hell, then we'll just have to force those damn phones away from you. Got it?"

The smart thing for anyone to do at that moment would be to throw in the towel and surrender- but that was not how Yuno wanted it to end, and Yukiteru sure as hell did not plot to let his beloved get hurt. They were outnumbered, that was obvious- the odds were against them more than ever which made Yuno feel beyond nervous. But, keeping his cool from before, Yukiteru demanded the answer to a very sudden question that was surely meant to send Keigo over the edge of his anger. "Here's my question… Why did you us to listen to such a weak argument?" Yuno turned to Yukiteru instantly, wanting to hiss at him and cease his taunting- but that same feeling that always held her back came into play again. Why did it have to appear now? Of course, it made sense- this situation was becoming enough to make her uneasy. Fear was not the right word, hesitation is- she did not know if doing anything or taking any sudden actions was the best idea. Due to what Yukiteru asked and Yuno's lack of an attempt to change the matter at hand, Keigo's fit continued at full force. "I didn't… Honest to god, I didn't expect you to listen- kids like you NEVER listen- even when you give them a valid reason to." Following that, Keigo lifted his brown eyes from the table and looked at them with pained eyes- as if speaking in such a tone hurt him in many ways. It was as if he could not bear with the sudden burning in his chest- and yet he showed the emotion that it made him feel. "Even my OWN child didn't bother to listen to what I asked him to do- he didn't give a shit about me or his own mother." Grinding his teeth together, Keigo let out one last jab at the two to let off even more steam- and he made sure to bash on his alleged horrible son even more than he did. "That kid… He betrayed my trust and left both of us to rot- he couldn't care less about us. I'll NEVER forgive him, and I'll never let myself reach out to disgusting children like you again." Yuno was taken aback by this- what did his son do to him that made the man feel so lied to? Although she longed for an answer, now was far from the proper time to ask any more questions about his story.

A silence passed over the room after the man blamed his son over something that the two did not know anything about- and when the calm yet intense feeling finally passed over, the stillness was broken by a voice that Yuno hated to hear whenever it came out. From beneath the mask of the skinny man next to Keigo sounded a raspy voice that was muffled by the cloth that covered his lips. Without seeing his ugly face, Yuno could tell that he was smiling as wide as he could- all it took was a bit of experience with others and anyone would be able to notice his twisted joy. "So, do you plan to execute them?" Inquired he as he wobbled over to his so-called amazing boss. In return, he was gifted with a sharp "No." that caused his figure to go stiff- as if the booming voice was enough to make him feel startled. There was no fear, but whenever his boss seemed to be displeased he did not enjoy a single moment of it. Keigo's denial of the Twelfth's suggestion was furthered expanded on just a moment later. "If you two try to escape, I'll definitely get the others to apprehend you. Any more trouble and I'll snap your diaries in two- one by one in front of your eyes. You hear me?" While his threat got to Yuno quite thoroughly, Yukiteru seemed nearly unphased. It could be assumed that the words bounced right off of him, because his distant eyes stayed right where they were- staring at the man, focused on him to see if he would take any sudden actions. Growing extremely agitated by the absence of emotion that Yukki had, Keigo shot forward and let out one last bite that had nothing but callous words supporting it. "What are you, retarded? Answer me!"

Every action that followed Keigo's last snap at them happened in a flash- Yuno could not keep up with it. It started with Yukki reaching down into a bag that she had never seen him utilize- the one that was strapped around his waist but was often forgotten by him. Out came a sharp dart- one that the female could not see because the boy shot from where he was standing, even letting go of her hand in the process. Twelfth, who heard the loud footsteps that came before the attack tossed a futile warning his boss's way- though he did not move because his blindness made it impossible for him to see where the male was moving in such a short amount of time. Since Keigo's loyal follower was rendered useless by the situation- Yukki pointed the dart in his direction and thrust his arm forward. The idea of stabbing out the man's eye was favorable to him- after all, it would cause him much pain and take out the vision that it provided him with. But, Keigo had somewhat anticipated that the teen would try to strike- and with the help of the verbal warning that he got, he moved from his chair in time to avoid the agonizing jab that his attacker had in mind. But, it was not a perfect dodge- no, his hesitation cost him that and in that same second he was greeted to a tremendous amount of pain next to his eye. Yes, the dart had cut into the man's skin- right next to the corner of the target. If it were any more to the side, it would have scraped his eyelid and maybe even part of his eyeball. But no, it was off of the intended destination and ended up cutting the very corner of his eye down to his cheek. While blindness was not a factor, the dart created a gash that stung more than anything. Keigo's body began to experience spasms of pain as he cried out. Crimson red flowed out slowly- staining the palm of his hand that he used to apply pressure to the wound.

A reaction to what happened was not Yuno's first thought- no, what came into her mind first was that they needed to escape the room before they got attacked by a mass amount of people who supported the man that Yukiteru just cut into. As the boy reached out once more and grabbed her hand- dropping the dart that he just attempted to use as some sort of knife in the process. It hit the floor with a pitiful clank that was drowned out by the grunts of discomfort from Keigo. Without any words, Yukki retreated out of the room, which was foolishly left unlocked once Twelfth reentered the room to hand Yuno that bag of ice before. Yuno followed him without any objections due to the stress that the moment had brought onto her- but just a split second later that stress was only heightened. Yes, a warning shot echoed from behind them, striking the bright wall that previously had little to no scratches on it. The bullet penetrated the wall- leaving a very visible mark and getting wedged into it in a way that it could not be taken out. Not even a flinch came out of Yukiteru, but Yuno found herself growing very antsy- he had a gun and most likely had every idea to shoot them both as they ran! Due to a very abrupt increase in fear, Yuno found herself ripping open the plastic bag that held the ice and throwing it behind her- causing the ice to scatter everywhere on the hard tile floor. Obviously, she tossed it as hard as she could in hopes that it would break apart and leave small crystals on the ground- and that is exactly what happened. It did not do them much good, but anything that could potentially cause them to stop attacking them for a moment was a great attempt to Yuno. With that, Yukki's shoulder slammed the door open and then came a long stretch of running. This time, it felt like it was necessary.

Realization did not take very long- when it hit Twelfth he found himself grimacing at what the duo just did to his boss under the strange mask that he always wore over his head. It was dishonorable- the worst possible thing that someone could do. In fact, in his view, they had just harmed a god. Rushing to his side and avoiding the shards of ice on the tiles below, Twelfth asked him if he was okay desperately. There was a very delayed response from Keigo- he was too busy trying to get the horrible stinging to die down if he could, though it was not working very well. "I'm fine…" Said he, removing his palm from the thin cut to see a very clear mark of blood- it was pushed onto it so much that it did not drip or run at all. No napkin or bandage was nearby, the fact that Keigo did not expect this plan to fall apart like it did was evident by how unprepared he was for this type of outcome. Twelfth, who seemed to be very disturbed and outraged by what went down, asked the man yet another question that was void of much sympathy. "Do you plan the kill them? Because in my opinion it would be great to see them suffer-" Cutting him off, Keigo nudged the scrawny man in his ribs and answered with a clear-cut. "I said no. We're going to catch them and force them to give up their diaries. They have no say in this or what will happen to them." His words came off as cold, especially due to the lack of description of what would become of Yuno and Yukki the moment that they caught them and stripped them of their phones. This caused his loyal follower's dull eyes to sparkle under the eyeball mask that covered him- much chaos was going to be involved in this situation and that is exactly what he loved to hear.

Tap, tap, tap- hasty steps were taken by the two teens as they raced down the hallway. Overhead, there was a lively chime that broke the repetitious sound of their strides. It signaled that there was going to be an announcement- one for everyone in the building to listen to and listen well. Yuno wished to listen to it even if she was in the process of dashing through the straight hallway. As a harsh voice boomed over the loudspeaker, the female found herself having much trouble understanding what it was saying. After all, the pounding that she heard in her head nearly drowned it out. The adrenaline that had already started to pulse through her veins was one of the major things that caused her to hear what was said by Keigo. Of course it was him, who else would it be? There was a shift in his tone- the previous laid back and happy-go one that he showed to Yuno that Yukki was long gone and it was now replaced with the one that she heard before they busted out of the office.

"There are two runaways in this building- they are a threat to our great city, possessing such dangerous weapons that they could run all of us into the ground. If you spot the two kids, Gasai Yuno and Amano Yukiteru, feel free to detain them and trap them in any way possible. **Bring them to me when your job is done.**" Demanded the man who's statement resounded throughout every corner of the hospital. There was no doubt about it, the news spread to every ear within this structure and now Yuno and Yukki had to go against the people who were already so forceful with them before- but this time, they were surely going to be out for blood. That's right- Yuno believed that they were going to kill them instead of capturing them, even with Keigo's words in mind. She would have surely drifted on the idea for longer, but her ally had a plan in mind that would overlap with that idea

It all started with Yukki looking over their surroundings, as always. There was a set of two elevators at the end of the hallway- presumably to deal with a mass amount of hospital guests, but they went unused due to the fate that it had to suffer. That could be used, but they would get cornered and caught almost right away if they chose to. Assuming that they would take the short route was elementary- it is a death wish that Yukki did not want to take up. To the left was a second option- the flight of stairs that could be used to go up and down the floors, a longer way to get around. But that would not do them any good either since shouts could be heard from the distance- they were clearly trying to hurry up the stairs to find them. Feeling beyond overwhelmed, Yuno shut her eyes as tight as she possibly could and found herself putting her free hand over her eyes as if that was enough to shield her from the bullets that she expected to be sprayed at them any moment now. That was not the case, in fact, Yukiteru took a very sudden action that caused Yuno to let out a sharp but quiet sound. It involved him ramming into a nearby window pane with his strong shoulder- nearly knocking it out of its frame. Upon giving the window a second glance, Yuno noticed that it was a door that served as a balcony- it was transparent, so if they took that route to get away from danger they would be seen. Another ram was utilized- enough to knock the door open, and as soon as it was opened wide enough, Yukki shoved him and his beloved through it, yanking her arm and closing the door by kicking it behind her. They both stood atop a part of the hospital that Yuno did not see when they first entered it, wind danced through her long pink hair and her lungs allowed the nice fresh air to enter them. Yes, they were outside.

They stood atop a balcony that was obviously not finished, and that could be concluded just by looking at the status of it. Glass panes were lazily stacked on top of each other in the corner as if they planned to use them in some way- there were no cracks or scratches on the surface, they were left completely untouched as if they were stuck in time. Time was not gifted to her, though- only a second was given before she was pulled to the place where Yukki intended on hiding while the first wave of followers passed over. The balcony lacked one railing as if they were still in the process of building it, and beyond it was a shaky metal surface that was weakly held up by what seemed to be a crane. It was meant for people to stand on and build- but the gate on it was not locked and every side of it was flung open. Either way, it was just a bit lower than where the balcony stood and out of the way of the glass. When Yuno stepped onto it, the boy gently pulled her downwards and directed her to kneel down like he was. They were hiding, and this spot seemed like the best that they could get- showing just how clever the male was sometimes when he was put on the spot. Getting down to his level did not come without a scare, though. No, the metal wires that propped the surface above the ground rocked back and forth as she settled- causing her to feel like it was going to give out at any second. Yuno's pink eyes drifted downwards, looking at what rested below them- they had to be at least six, no, seven floors above the earth. If the cables were to pop right now, they would most definitely topple over and fall to their deaths. Although the breeze that gently whispered in her ears was calm on its own, the scene that she saw beneath the cracks in the crisp metal still made her heart feel like it was going to wriggle its way out of her throat. But, swallowing to try to dim down the strong feeling of anxiety, Yuno shifted her attention to Yukiteru- staring him down with angered but confused eyes. "Why did you choose to take us out here of-"

A hand met Yuno's lips as soon as she let out such a peep- that was Yukiteru's blunt way of shushing her. One look at his expression was enough to determine that he knew very well why he chose to do that- now was not the time to demand answers, which is why he ultimately ended up shushing her like that. Speaking in a very toned down voice, the male began to explain himself. "There was nowhere else f-for us to go, we either went here or down the stairs to be met to gunpoint." There was a slight shakiness to his words, it was horror's doing- no, he had once again pulled off a full one-eighty and was showing his awkward side once again. Yuno would never be able to process his ability to swap masks so easily but did not dare to make right now the time to point that out. More important things were present, one being the need to understand his motives behind this choice. "Yes, but-!" Yuno once again attempted to talk, giving it her best shot, but was promptly silenced by a stinging but muted "shh!" Following the order that she was given on the spot, Yuno sealed her mouth shut. A peaceful stillness passed over the duo, but it was soon broken by the unpleasant sound of stomping, yelling, cursing and snarling overhead. When the female looked towards the source of the sound- the area right in front of the balcony that they were just standing in a minute prior, it was filled to the brim with the people who were meant to find them. Yukiteru put his arm on Yuno's back, trying to get them both to hunker down even further so none of them could catch them from the corner of their eye. The only barrier that kept them out of view was the balcony- and as more and more people began to show up, Yukki found the want to take an even bigger risk. So he did, leaning back more into the construction platform. The surface swayed side to side, causing Yuno to hiss at the boy- and that was only turned up in volume when the cables slightly gave out, causing the two to drop just a bit further downwards- only for the platform to be caught by the next safety lock. Experiencing that tiny jerk was enough to have Yuno believe that they were going to dive into the ground and die, but they seemed to be fine. When the wire was done swinging as much as it was after the initial fall, Yukiteru crawled forward and put his hand on the balcony, getting the platform to slow to a stop and having it become still once more. Once all was said and done, the boy let in a relaxed breath and returned to his original position.

Miraculously, nobody spotted them when such a reckless move was thrown out. The idea was to make sure that they were not seen by the people, but Yukki could not help but to laugh to himself when he noticed that such a bold action was not necessary. "They're so dumb that they didn't see a thing- and they're supposed to scare us?" Joked he, as his hand drifted to his tan beanie. It gripped the clothing article and took it off promptly, lying it on his lap. As Yukki tried to smooth the hat out, getting the wrinkles out of the way and stretching it a bit to put it back onto his head when he was done fixing it- Yuno gladly responded to his snarky words, being sure to not raise her voice. "You're treating them like they're some joke, but they are the ones with the guns…!" Fair point, or at least that is what Yuno believed- but as expected, Yukiteru shrugged it off and chuckled at her rational thought process. Opening his deep blue eyes once more to look at her spheres, the male reached out and held her hand in his as an attempt to soothe her nerves. "Don't worry- I'll think of some way out of this and we'll both be okay." With that, his fingers tightened around hers- forcing their way through the spaces and entertaining them. Yuno flinched a bit at how forcefully he was grasping her hand, but it seemingly had no other effect due to the sheer amount of adrenaline that was flowing in her veins. The idea that he was trying to comfort her was present, but it had nothing on how well he did it before. Now, it was so ineffective that Yuno simply raised her free arm and hid her eyes in it- trying to get away from the situation for just a bit. Yukiteru, sensing her anxiety, reached for her arm and lowered it- encouraging it to fall to her side. "You need to stop being so tense… I told you, everything is going to be okay." He jokingly chided his love as he rubbed his thumb against a very strained part of her arm, careful not to exert too much pressure on it.

Even when she spared time to look over his eyes, Yuno could not understand why he acted in such a manner. This demeanor that Yukiteru showed was not very uncommon- no, it was something that she was starting to get used to in a way. But, when they were put into situations like this, she could not help but wonder why he did what he did. Did he truly view himself as some miracle-bringer who would save both of their lives? Trying to grasp why he would still take such huge risks when they were being hunted confused her to the core. But, each time he did it, those "dumb" moves are what end up prolonging their lives. Due to this internal conclusion, Yuno took in a breath and carefully took her arm away from Yukki- making sure that it was far enough for him not to reach. Her attention was then turned back up to the window, which was placed above them due to the panel that they were on being lowered. There were a few people still there- sticking around the door like annoying bugs who needed to buzz off. Yuno ducked down more, waiting and doing her best to ignore the wind that was beginning to raise its voice in her ears. Her gaze was raised to the sky ahead when the force of the wind began to grow- it was now enough to push her pink locks of hair around with ease. It was enough to stop Yukiteru from putting his hat back onto his head- instead, he lazily pushed it into his dart bag and then proceeded to stay where he was, waiting for the people who were trying to scout them out to leave the area. They did not move though, and that fact began to pick at Yuno more and more until she finally gritted her teeth and lowered her head. Yes, it was clear that she was beyond frustrated, and she had every intention to go off about how the two needed to deal with this problem that they had sunk into.

Pushing her palms onto the metal beneath her body once more- Yuno angled her body in a way that she could properly face her ally and speak to him about what was on her mind. "Why… Why don't we call the police? Maybe they'll help us out of this- they have to, right?" She went on, even lifting up her arm and making motions with her fingers to emphasize the criticalness in her words. It was a perfectly valid point to Yuno, just like her last one, but Yukiteru always seemed to have a way to take it down and turn it into something that did not matter. Giving her a smile, the male chose to go about her suggestion as kindly as he could, even if it did not slide with him completely. "I don't think that doing that is the best idea- It'll just help the Fourth." Curiously, Yukki did not exactly touch on how or why it would help their enemy. No, he spoke as if he knew for sure but did not have any backing to it, which only made Yuno feel far more concerned. How would calling the police and having them raid the building to bust them out of here be bad? Making her voice clear, the girl shifted her weight forward and looked at the one who was supposedly supporting her with annoyed eyes. "I don't understand what you mean by that… Why would that help rather than hurt him? I wish that you would back up what you had to say!" But, with that, Yukiteru's palm shot to her mouth again as he gently shushed her- reminding her to be wary of her volume. There were still some men above them, though they were starting to disperse. Yukki's idea seemed to be to hoist them upwards once again so they could reach the balcony- the coast was not completely clear but starting to work on their next course of action was mandatory. As he stood up and reached for the cable above, Yuno let out a breath and grabbed the boy's free hand in hers, causing him to lose track of what he was doing. His visage was turned to face his, and when she noticed how off his pupils look it ripped a gasp out of her throat. They were frosted over once again- distant from the world as if he did not feel anything. It was something about how suddenly they changed that made feel Yuno feel very uneasy- thinking of that was enough to make her notice the cold breeze that tickled her neck.

The air was bitter, clouds that were once far away had arrived at Sakurami City to play. Breathing in the atmosphere was just a reminder of the wet and icky feeling that the upcoming storm brought with it. Every part of Yuno wished to look up at the sky and look at what was to come, but she was practically held where she was by Yukki's icy eyes. A lump formed in her throat- was this another fit of fear? No, that is not what she wanted at all. Forcing herself to face the boy, even in his disturbed state, Yuno opened her mouth to speak. "I feel like this isn't the best idea, can't we do something else?" Asked she, as she slightly tilted her head to show that she was genuinely interested in taking an alternate route. The female failed to note her trembling lips and shaky fingers- it was a given that Yukiteru would pick up on it and detect her quakes of anxiety. Color flooded back into his eyes when he recorded the change in her composure- and soon after the usual sparkle in his eyes returned. Giving her an adorable grin, Yukki took her single hand with both of his and squeezed it lovingly, as if he truly appreciated the gesture. "Please trust me, alright love? It's for the best... " That was all that was given to her though- because as quickly as the life returned to his face, it then drained and vanished once again. The change occurred due to the sounds of footsteps above them- there were very few, but they were still there. Due to them, Yukki stood where he was, unmoving. This stillness went on for a few more horrible minutes that dragged on- but throughout them, the noise in the building began to drop. And, at last, there was peace.

Stillness did not last very long though, not at all. Yukiteru, since the coast was clear, attempted to lift the panel up with all of his strength. His grip was sturdy, that is for sure, but that is when the weather became painfully clear to both him and Yuno. Clouds that loomed above them began to spit tiny drops at rain down upon the metal surface, and it trickled down the chains- making them quite hard to grip. Although his fingers kept slipping and sliding across the cold metal, the boy managed to get a proper hold on it by stretching his sleeves up to his palms. Once he properly held them, Yukki mustered enough power to roll the chains past the bar that held them and bring them back up. It was far more easy to knock them down than to get them up, and that was obvious by the sheer amount of exhaustion that was present on the male's face once all was said and done. Eyeing over the glass once more to make sure that nobody was there, his foot slowly drifted over the balcony and placed itself on it. Right, everything was okay now as long as they got off of what they were standing on. Yukki did that without hesitation, but to his surprise, Yuno did not leave its side as soon as she could. No, she looked at her ally with an unconvinced expression. After all of the sweet words that he had muttered in her direction, Yuno still had a lot of trouble trusting what he had to say. The way that he went about everything seemed to be so risky- so barbaric, even. Though it matched the cruel nature of the survival game, the female found it difficult to grasp. Looking at him with the look that reflected this feeling, Yuno carefully asked, "why can't we just call the police? What harm would it do us?" To this, Yukki simpered and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Not wanting to get caught, the male brought himself to the surface once more, resulting in quite a reaction from Yuno. She hissed once more as the panel that hung above such a great distance swayed side to side- holding onto the bars below like it would save her life if it lost its grip on the chains. Yukiteru simply smiled at her displeasure and lifted his hands to gently reach up to the corners of Yuno's lips- forcing them upwards so that she seemed to be smiling. He was met with no resistance, but as soon as he moved his pointer fingers off of it, the smirk faded and nothing seemed to have been done in the past few minutes. Sighing, Yukki gave in to the fact that his beloved was not happy and decided to face it rather than avoid it and make ineffective efforts to calm her misery. As if he knew the answer, the male nodded and opened his mouth, void of hesitation. "Trying to call the police would do nothing but cause us more trouble. It won't work, trust me." He spoke in such a low voice that Yuno found herself having trouble understanding what he was saying. But, thankfully, she caught onto it and processed his input on the situation. That does not mean that she accepted it though- no, Yuno could not agree with what was spoken. Frowning more than she did before, the female snarkily responded with a "Why? Why can't we call them?" It seemed so crazy in her eyes- what reason did they have NOT to call them? Even with mounds of reasons to take that route, Yukiteru did not buy it. Instead, he shook his head and moved his gentle touch to her fisted hand- his fingers curled around it softly and cradled it in an attempt to have it loosen up. "It just won't work… I need you to trust me, okay?" The desperation in his voice was growing, and it was obvious that her trust was something that he felt was very important. It was almost as if he could not go without it any longer- perhaps the situation called for it and the girl was just way too caught up with other things to notice it. Regardless, Yuno took in a shaky breath and closed her eyes, denying to look her ally in the face.

Yukki knew that she did not accept his conclusion, but time was also clearly not on their side. Lowering his eyebrows and gritting his teeth, an upset look rolled up onto his visage as the male instinctively raised his voice. "Please… Just listen to me! I know that I'm n-not exactly the most trustworthy person, but I know t-that doing that wouldn't be the best choice… I just want the best for you, Yuno…" Spurt Yukiteru, who had a voice that made it known that he was on the edge of tears. In fact, a single tear did find its way out of his eye. It traveled down his cheek lazily, leaving a trail as it dragged on. Sluggishly, it reached the bottom of his chin and then fell off onto his black sweatshirt. Yuno's pupils followed it on its journey, but her main focus by the halfway point became the boy in front of her. Right, this was the only person that she could somewhat work with through this peculiar place that they were in. As much as it hurt to trust him- really, what person in their right mind would do such a thing? Part of Yuno still screamed at her- pounded at her heart and told her to spare just a bit of trust in this boy's direction just so they could both make it out unharmed. Despite how insane it seemed, not phoning the police and asking for help, Yuno swallowed her hesitancy and nodded half-heartedly. She could not understand why lashing out at the male was not easy to her- pushing others who held her life back was not a problem in most cases. It had to be the survival game- and crediting it for that was the motive behind why she ultimately ended up taking his hand and giving in to his mysterious touch. "I understand… I don't fully get why we can't contact them, but if it's really that bad- I'll go with it." Sighed Yuno while her and Yukiteru rose up from the metal panel together. It shook once more, causing Yuno to lose her footing just a little bit. Quickly, Yukki's hands flew out and held his love his place- making sure that she did not trip over the short fence that kept them from their death. When this act of kindness was given out, the girl could not help but smile slightly. Yes, her ally was certainly something- he has broken noses and shown that he would do anything in his power to keep her safe. But, as far as she could tell, he did not have any ill intentions. This smirk stayed pasted on her lips as Yukki turned to look into the glass pane that lay before them. Nobody was there- it was safe to go for now.

So up they went onto the sturdy balcony. Steady footing, at last- feeling that was such a relief to Yuno, so much so that she let out an audible breath that caught Yukki's attention. To this, he smiled and put his arm around her shoulders as if they had the time to engage in such silly actions. The moment that her eyes were greeted to the lights inside of the hospital that appeared to be safe, she did away with its deceiving look and shrugged Yukiteru's arm off of her too. Yes, she wished to walk forward and peek through the glass to see if anyone was nearby- though, that was proven by the lack of sound from behind the surface. Upon further observation, it became clear that there was a good shot to the elevator and the stairs. If they were to open the door right now and dash with all of their might, there would be no problem with making it without anyone seeing. The problem with that idea came after the very moment that they would end up reaching their destination- what would come next? Logically, more people would be at the end of the line- they could not be that dumb, right? Yes, Yuno knew very well that it would not work and yet Yukiteru seemed to be perfectly fine with what would come next. It was obvious that his expression was not just an awkward and goofy smirk meant to lull Yuno into a false feeling of safety- not at all. He was okay with facing others if they were to, say, appear before them. There was a chance that he was okay with fighting them, even without a weapon- but what would bring him to that? As a result, Yuno nudged him with her shoulder- and it did its job, snapping him back to reality. That is when the magnitude of the situation began to settle in- pressure took hold of the boy's chest as he let in a deep breath. Its sole purpose was to calm him down- soothe him for what was to come next, but it did not fare very well. Oh, how he wished that he could keep himself together for her sake. Up until now, he did fine- but the moment that the boy felt her touch, Yukiteru could not help but to realize that their lives were in danger. While there was not a DEAD END flag in sight, the future was something that could be messed with very easily. One minor action was enough to throw it off and lead them to their deaths- that is just how it is.

There were two things that were pulling at Yukki, causing him to worry about what changes sliding the glass door open could bring about. One thing, which is not very surprising, is that he was very concerned about whether Yuno would behave the entire time. The male wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, but in order for them to get out of such a situation without any alterations to their lives, even if it did not bring their death perce, would be for them to work together flawlessly. This… Is something that they appeared to lack- as a team, they have only pulled through once and it was enough to cheat a flag placed down by Twelfth. But this, the level at which this hole was dug was far more than what they had to deal with that day. Yes, they had to defend themselves against their peers but, in all, it was not like this. They did not have weapons, all that there was, for the most part, was the risk of getting whacked upside the head or pinned down. In this case, they were dealing with fools who had their hands on guns. Guns… A single bullet was enough to set the future in stone- one shot could be fatal enough to take either one of them down. The way that they whistled through the air at such a deadly speed is another aspect that made this far more frightening to think about- pushing down the trigger would be what would cause the future to shift, and unless the two possessed god-like reflexes, they could not escape it. This worry alone was enough to cause another deep breath to come out of Yukki, and the hat that he had just equipped fairly recently felt hot and itchy all of a sudden. Delaying their actions further, Yukki reached up and took off the bag- stuffing it into the dart bag without a second thought. There was no reason to wear it, especially if all that would come next would cause the boy to break out into a sweat. Yes, that is one thing that he stuffed away to keep safe- but it was at a poor time in regards to the weather. Because above them, the clouds began to taunt the two by throwing drops of rain down upon the two. At this rate, the balcony would become quite wet- but that is not all. Their frail phones would become wet, and they just so happen to be connected to their lives so who knows what would happen next?

In reaction to the increase of rain, Yuno stepped forward and put her hand on the door. Staying out here would do nothing for them- not only would they get drenched, but they also would run the risk of being seen. They needed to move and hide and that is that, and the female made it clear. "Yukki…" Began the girl as she walked past him- looking back at him once she did. "Come on now, we need to decide on what we're doing and go with it. We're getting nowhere here." Her brutally honest words bounced right off of Yukiteru, proven by his poker-faced blink, followed by a small shake of the head to snap himself out of whatever his thoughts were again. Yes, his partner had a point- they had to put the pedal to the metal if they intended on slipping past security set up within the hospital. Time was ticking, ticking, ticking and yet all the boy was doing was staring into space as if something was going to change for the better. Recollecting himself, Yukki nodded and looked into the situation once again. If he wanted to think about things, it would have to be later- there is a time and place for everything. "Yeah, you're right." Spoke the male, and as soon as his confirmation was done and over with, moved forward with Yuno and then stopped out of nowhere. It felt like an uphill battle- all that he was trying to do was combat his inner thoughts and make the right moves. Why was this far harder than before? When he was put up against his peers, there was not an ounce of hesitance in his soul- none at all. Due to this thought, the male finally pushed past his reluctance with a smile. Yes, his straight face that lacked much emotion had twisted into an almost painfully forced smile once again. His eyes were a bit cold, fitting into the chilled rain that was starting to add up on their shoulders. The pressure of the water only climbed further as the boy wiped his almost dripping hair out of his face. "Yeah, let's head to the elevator now," Yukki said, but not before doing one last thing that baffled his ally even more. His hand traveled downwards, reaching for the bag that was wrapped around his waist tightly. In it were two darts- and with that comes the second thing that was holding him back. The two pointy darts that were in his bag- both of them were placed face down so they did not prick Yukki's finger when he reached down for them. There were only two left- and really, what purpose did they serve? In Yukiteru's view, there was none- they were only taking up space in a bag that he could use for far more productive things. So, as the balcony began to grow slippery by the minute, the boy turned on his heel and tossed his darts over the fence- causing them to descend to the ground that was far below them. He had no idea where he just threw them, but his strange actions did not appear to bother him at all. No, he simply grinned at the girl and repeated himself. "Let's head to the elevator now,'' he spoke as if he completely forgot that he said it before. To this, Yuno raised an eyebrow.

Wondering why the boy decided to ditch his darts was not a surprising thing for Yuno to think about when she saw it. It was so minor yet so peculiar it was nearly impossible not to think about it- but lingering on this would not last very long. Yukki, who already seemed a bit more distant than before, pushed the door open and grabbed Yuno's hand- pulling her forward. He did not even bother to close the door, but the female did her very best to kick it shut after they left the scene. There was no time for chit chat, nothing- he simply powered to the elevator that the two talked about multiple times without a second thought. His speed had dropped greatly when he began to rustle through his damp jacket's pocket- digging for his slightly wet phone so he could check the future. There were no sounds from it before, so all seemed well. But when the male noticed how much he was holding them back, he directed Yuno to run ahead and press the elevator's button, as if he knew very well that she could outspeed him without getting exhausted. This was his first plan of action, there was nothing more to it- all that they had to do was escape. Such a basic idea would not come easily, it would require much strength and a lot of luck. Would they come out of this without any conflicts? Yuno asked herself as she listened to what Yukki told her to do- dashing forward and extending her arm to press the button. That is when it hit her- the button that she was meant to press lit up before she could touch it. Her eyes then moved upwards, and that is when she noticed that it was just occupied by someone else. The arrow above the metal door glowed with an unsettling green light- not good at all. Yuno then turned to Yukki, furiously praying that he had some other idea in mind since his first idea did not fare too well against the situation. Obviously, he did because the boy scooped up her hand once more and swiftly headed to the flight of stairs that were down the long bright hall to the right of where their goal was. "There are seven floors- we're going to get quite the workout at this rate." Joked the boy who seemed to have the biggest smirk on his visage. It was not over the joke- it was due to what was happening. Perhaps it was the action, or maybe it was something more- but Yuno did not dare to guess what it was. Instead, she gulped and challenged her ally. "Is this all that we can do? I'm so tired of running!"

As the two flew down the first flight of stairs of many, Yukki yanked his diary out once more and looked over its contents. No future change- not yet, at least. That could be altered at any given moment, every action was connected after all. When their shoes met the solid floor beneath the stairs again, the boy turned his head to face Yuno- he chose now to spill the concept that supported his intentions on the floor above them. "Look…" Started the boy as they raced through the hallway, desperately looking for the stairs to head to the fifth floor. This felt so wrong and reckless- almost like they would end up being caught because of how stupid it was. Despite this holding Yuno down, she proceeded to follow the male that she swore to not team up with just a few hours ago. "I knew that they were going to show up in that elevator- all of them are off-limits at this point, but that's very easy to conclude," Yukki explained as his black hair tickled his sweat-drenched cheeks- adrenaline was a big thing that was keeping his supports up, and the same could be said for Yuno. "And I know that we keep running- but what can we do? We have no weapons, Yuno- they're armed and they could very well be hypnotized and numb to pain." It was such a pathetic response from him- while it slipped past his lips, he could feel the strong urge to burst out laughing at how weak he sounded- and how much he reminded himself of something else that Yuno could not put her finger on. "We need to start working together as a team, if we keep this… U-Up any longer, we're going to be one of- if not, the first ones to go out of this game. Being dysfunctional isn't an option. I wish t-that you would understand that and…" Following that, Yukiteru paused to take in another breath- it was as if he used up all of the air that was supplied in his lungs for what he said to Yuno. Good thing- because it provided her time to think of what to say in response. Anger and frustration once again bubbled up in her chest- was it that damn feeling of helplessness that ailed her before?

She was going to give him her full answer, but instead, the boy went on with his train of thought, only further drilling the point of view that he had into the female's head. "Our diaries were designed to work together, unlike everyone else's… Some people will find it difficult to fit their abilities together, but you and I are fortunate- we don't have to worry about that." Almost instantly after he finished his sentence, the boy suddenly jerked both him and the girl into a tiny space that was most likely cut out for a few vending machines, or even for public water fountains. Either way, the crevice was not big in size but could serve as a very temporary place to hide- only to catch their breaths, of course. Yukki's dull eyes drifted upwards only to reach a map that was protected by a small layer of plastic. On it was an arrow, and above it an insignificant "you are here" was jotted above it. The boy utilized his gift, as expected, taking in the map's contents- trying to figure out how the room was structured. While he was in the process of doing so, Yuno only took a moment to recuperate- and she sure as hell intended on making her voice clear to the boy one last time, a last-ditch effort in a way. "I know that I've said it over and over again- I know… But, I'm so tired of running. There's nothing that can be done, but it makes me feel so pathetic…" Yukiteru did not take note of her input right away though, no, he was too absorbed in what he was doing- even going as far as trying to squint his eyes to see the smaller map that was meant to signify the floor below them. Although he had great vision for the most part, seeing that far was out of the question- it was such a distance away from his pupils that he would need to walk forward and look at it from a different angle. It took a minute longer for him to finally realize that Yuno spoke- it was as if he toned her out because he was so focused on what he was doing. Blinking a few times, the male put on another staged smile and looked at the girl with what seemed to be content.

"But there's no reason to feel that way..." Insisted Yukiteru as he let go of her hand to slightly stretch his arms. "I've told you multiple times, the nature of this game is cruel, so running is just something that we have to do sometimes. Facing everything head-on will only kill us, you know?" In return, Yuno simply sighed and crossed her arms. They were wasting time and she guessed that he was right- if the duo were to linger here any longer they would surely face the consequences. Armed men, maybe even hypnotized so they could not fall victim to pain. Out of the heat of the moment, the female gritted her teeth and fisted her hands again- supporting something that she did not believe that she did. It was only to make herself seem powerful- faking her strength was one of the last things that she could do to keep herself from breaking down into an enraged mess. "I-I… I don't agree with that- none of our views match up with each other, so why do you think that we would ever be able to work together without any problems showing up?" Yuno questioned with lowered eyebrows- trying to make it clear that she was not happy. She had no idea that her minor opposition to the male would ultimately end up setting him off- making him terrify her. "I'd like to hear your idea, then." Yukki coldly stated as he turned to look at her with his sharp eyes. They stabbed through her like daggers- having them directed her way was something that she was not yet used to. Fear was definitely present when she looked back at them- her ally was losing his mind and he was not aware of it in the slightest. When Yukiteru finally came to terms with the fact that he scared his beloved, the look was quickly wiped off of his face and replaced with a far more concerned expression. "I-I'm… So sorry for starling you, if I did. I'm just…" With that, he averted his eyes which were now lively and blue instead of raw and dead. "Stressed." That was the word that he decided to go with when explaining how he felt, but it was most likely very different from that. Regardless, Yuno had no motivation to speak up against him any longer. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place, there was nothing that she could do to escape. Trapped- just like her past, and she despised it. The will to tell the male anything else about how she felt was gone completely- what a strange relationship the two had, really.

Although Yukki would have loved to stay where they were and discuss what just happened- why he just snapped at Yuno, there was no time. The future changed, and the boy shoved his phone into his jacket as soon as it happened to muffle the sound. Right, though the ear-grinding static was enough to catch someone's attention if something bad was going to happen to them in the near future, it also revealed where they could be hiding. As soon as the noise rang out, voices could be heard from some end of the hallway- without reading his diary, Yukki could not tell if it was in front of or behind them. Upon reading his diary, the male grasped Yuno's hand and urged her to make a mad dash to the stairs, which were fairly close to them. While they began to make their way through the building, which seemed to be Yukki's "great" master plan, he directed Yuno to snap a picture of the map with her phone- even if it was blurry due to the speed at which they were moving, it would still help them in the long run- that is, if each floor is structured similarly. Yuno did her best to follow his orders because going against him seemed to be futile, but as soon as she saw suited figures appear on the other side of the hallway, she nearly dropped her phone due to the sudden increase in heart rate. Yet, she held onto it and did what was told- and following that, Yukki turned and thudded down another flight of stairs, clearing it completely. He was getting tired, and so was Yuno- running forever would get them nowhere at this point, even if their goal was to escape this place. Eventually, hiding would have to be their next course of action- it was evident that Keigo was beginning to catch onto their song and dance, but that was as expected. The two continued on, praying that they would not run into any more trouble, but that would surely not be the case. They were already caught, at this point the duo was simply denying reality. Something had to be done if they intended on wiggling their way out of this, and of course, Yukki had something in mind. He was already looking at his dark blue phone's screen, piecing together the best thing to do even if they were stuck with little to no options.

"Don't let this scare you, but I think that we've been u-uh… Cornered." Yukki began as the rate at which he was racing began to deplete. Was he really giving up at such a key time? Yuno could not tell, but she was not ready to play along with it at all. Instead, she took the lead and began to drag him with her rather than it being the other way, as she said, "I'm not going to let them get to us though- if they find us then we'll at least put up some sort of fight…!" Although her confidence seemed to be practically radiating from her, deep down poor Yuno was extremely nervous and did not know how to go about the situation. As mentioned before, she felt trapped- at this point, she would do anything to make herself feel safe even if it was useless. These words doubled with the fact that his beloved was willing to keep struggling until the end made Yukki feel quite happy- it was proof that she was brave and not willing to give in. Respect, that was the word that could be used to describe what he felt on top of his burning love for her. His smile turned into a goofy grin, which made it hard to believe that he just lost his cool with Yuno a few minutes ago. "I wasn't saying that we should give up, Yuno.", the male stated as he tried to get his love to slow down for just a second. The sheer amount of adrenaline that was going through her was enough for her to not pick up what the male was trying to do- instead, he was forced to stop in his tracks to urge her to do so too. While she did put up just a bit of resistance, Yuno paused with the boy to see what was so important. "When I tell you something like that, you shouldn't let it get to your head. We need to find somewhere to go, is all." With that said, Yukki then took the lead once more and continued down the hallway- walking at a rushed pace, yes, but it was not nearly as extreme as before. This time around, Yukki's eyes were glued to the other side of the hallway, and when it ended it jumped to the one that was in front of them- the very one that they would be forced to cross over into. He was looking for rooms to stay in- something to stay sheltered in while the storm of men passed over them. Maybe they could hold them back- that is what they would have to rely on as of right now. Making this clear to Yuno, the boy's lips opened as he started. "Look for somewhere for us to hunker down in for a few minutes- any unlocked room will do.

While the thought was conveyed to the female easily, it was hard for her to take it and actually focus on what he asked of her. Right, Yuno was supposed to be acting as a proper team member to Yukki and yet she could not find the motivation to help him out. Instead of aiding him in his idea, Yuno instead hesitated and looked down towards the ground on which they stepped- paying no attention to her surroundings whatsoever. What a poor habit this was- spacing out was something that someone would not want to do when being pursued in the survival game. Due to her lack of action or support, Yukki did not find a door that did not bear a lock in time, which of course set off a wild chain reaction that would cause a future change. It was such a simple one- they took too long so they came face to face with some men with guns. But still, there was so much behind it that made it complex. If Yuno were to have been a good ally and did what the male directed her to do, this would not have happened. But now, after the ear-grinding static noise that sounded from both of their phones, Yukki ceased his movement and instead began to back up a bit. The moment that Yuno turned her gaze up from the floor to what was in front of her, she let out a tiny gasp. There, right before them, was a line of three men. In their hands were cold, unforgiving guns that were surely loaded with bullets. When Yukki turned on his heel to look behind them, two more workers had snuck up on them, surprising them almost. It took a bit of thought to realize how much deeper the hole that Yuno dug them into had become, but when her mind finally paged through everything that was going down, she realized that she was trapped. Not only was it mentally, how she felt like escaping her negative thoughts was impossible… But now Yuno was stuck physically- they were both cornered as Yukki said, he was not incorrect.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of panic take control, Yuno found herself scrambling to the nearest wall- trying to stay out of the line of fire from the people who were set on catching them. Her anxiety was justified for sure, but when she noticed that Yukki had let go of her hand and stood where he was, Yuno could not help but be taken aback. Void of any fear, the male faced them. Something about the lack of movement from his body- how he did not shift around or even have one of his fingers twitch- it showed just how calm he was when he faced the three guns that were faced to him. To top everything off, his diary was not open, which meant that he had no idea whether Keigo had checkmated him or not. No, he continued to stand his ground, looking at them with intense icy eyes. Although Yuno detected the difference in composure between the two, she still had her back pasted to the wall. Looking straight into a gun- being so close to it that she could see the hole that was meant for the bullet and everything… That was something that, no matter how hard she tried right now, she was unable to do. As the girl stayed in her little "safe spot", which was not truly secure at all but it was in her heart, a voice boomed across the hallway- and it came from one of the men who were aiming a gun at Yukiteru's head. "If you don't struggle anymore, we'll let you go!" It was such a straightforward command- one that Yuno understood with ease, but when she caught a glimpse of Yukki's dull eyes, it was revealed that he was unsure of what he proposed. It was almost as if he was looking past them- or perhaps it could be compared to his view going right through them. Anyways, it quickly became evident that Yukki was not listening well, which only poked at their patience even more. With that, their guns were raised higher- all that Yukki's silent treatment did was push the enemies to readjust their crosshairs.

The next few seconds rolled around so quickly that Yuno was barely able to process them- just like Yukiteru's last actions and any of the other ones before, he acted very fast to get out any tight spots. It was like yanking a loose tooth out- it just had to be done and fast for the pain or concern to last any longer. It began with Yukki stepping forward- one foot and then the next. His hand was extended backwards, and it was wide open, revealing his empty palm. Yuno stared at it for just a moment, but when she caught on to the fact that he was starting to initiate an escape plan, she reached out and held his hand. That is when a bullet tore through the air- it was shot by a hasty worker who became very worried when he saw movement between the duo. The deadly metal flew through the atmosphere, and it even caught a few strands of Yukiteru's black hair, ripping it right off. It travelled further and then fell to the solid tile floor with a subtle clank. Against what Yuno thought, when she brought her gaze to Yukiteru, he was not showing an emotionless visage that would send shivers down anyone's spine. There was a sign of both dread and relief in his eyes- a familiar sparkle shone above his pupils, showing that life was present. Taking in a lungful of air, Yukki bowed his head and dashed forward with all of his might. He ran like a bull- lacking in speed but making up for it fully in power and stamina. While dragging Yuno along with him, he rammed into the line that held them back, causing them to sidestep so they did not topple over with them. As Yukki turned the corner of the hallway with his pair of eyes that were closed very tightly, two more bullets were sent their way- ultimately hitting the wall that was in front of them. Another disaster was avoided, but there was next to no time to get away from it. They only gained a few seconds on those who were after them- and still, Yuno found no proper time to check if they were really going for their lives. When she finally decided to flip her diary open and check it, which came soon after they sprinted down a hallway and hopped down another stairway, Yuno's thoughts were cut off by a very out of place jerking motion. Like before, Yukki forced the door to an area open and entered it- closing it behind him promptly so that nobody saw them go into it. The female blinked a few times as she tried to wrap her head around where they were now- and it all began with the furniture that she saw.

Catching a good look at what furnished the room that they were in was difficult because Yukki had begun to push it all out of place. It began with the desk that was near the door- using some of his strength, he forced his body against it enough to slide it in the way of where it would open. Then, he reached over the desk and fiddled with the lock to see if he could lock it properly- which showed that his list of what was most important was different from Yuno's. It was as if he wanted to make sure that nobody could break in right away before he tested the lock. Either way, it did not turn all the way- it was as if someone forced a screwdriver into it and purposely tried to twist it out of place so it would no longer work. Since that idea was crumpled up and thrown to the side, Yukki began to search for more things to block the door with, and more importantly, he started to look for places for them to hide if someone did end up getting in. The entire situation Yuno and Yukiteru found themselves in evolved into a game of hide and go seek- this is what is to be expected, though. Being caught in such a place with no proper weapons was not a joke, and this was proof. "Can you hold that there for me? I'd feel far safer if you were there to keep it still." Questioned Yukiteru as he took his figure off of its wooden structure. Yuno obliged, waddling over to the desk and making sure that it did not budge while her ally headed off further into the open room to look for other objects to wedge into the door. Yuno watched him go past the window that was across from her multiple times as he gathered things- one of which being a hospital bed that could be rolled by the wheels on the underside. Yes, this was definitely a room meant for a patient to rest in while they were visiting this hospital, but clearly, it went unused. It lacked the proper machines meant to track the heartbeat of said visitor, and there were other key things that were not around. The idea of being in an unused room in an unfinished hospital gave Yuno the creeps, but they were drowned out by Yukki's grunts that slipped past his lips as he moved parts of the room around. When he was finally done with his work, Yukki relaxed for just a moment and found himself sitting on the edge of the sheetless bed that he rolled out of its starting position. It was soft, enough for him to allow his tense shoulder muscles to unwind.

"Yuno…" Yukki began as he caught his breath more and more, "I need you to start making a habit of checking your diary, okay?" This certainly caught Yuno off guard- she did not expect to hear such a request from the male. It made sense, and it could even be considered reasonable- so much so that Yuno ended up instinctively nodding without putting much thought into it. "It's just…" Began the girl as she hoisted herself up onto the desk- settling down on its hard surface that let out a creak here and there when she moved her legs up onto it. "It's hard to get used to it, especially when you know when your life is connected to it. One mistake will result in your death. It's easy to remember, but the simplicity is what makes it very scary…" This was a truthful confession from Yuno- not only did the mysterious transformation of her diary hold her back from look at it, after all, she lost many pictures of her and her parents in a blink of an eye. The idea that her flimsy flip phone was what her life was now bound to sent shivers up her spine- it was far too much for her to swallow, and even now she was struggling with it. The expression that came over her face once she worded her concerns only made it more evident that the emotions and thoughts that she had were a mess, and rightfully so. Making this clear again during such a calm moment in their confrontation with Fourth did wonders- instead of being greeted with a distant look that was bogged down with many concerns that dragged his mind to the brink of insanity, he gave her a sweet smile- one that did not seem nearly as forced as in the past. It was just as genuine as when he looked out for her earlier- that little temper tantrum that Yuno threw was enough to bring out his good side. Swiping his hair out of the way of his eyes to allow the cold air to get to his wet face, Yukki continued on with what he was telling her. The tone in which he spoke was much more gentle than the one that he used when he snapped at her. It was almost as if this was the boy that she became acquainted with during her time at school.

Looking at her dead in the eyes with his glittering blue ones, Yukiteru proceeded. "You're right- y-you really are… It is scary, but like…" Midway through his explanation, Yukki took in a breath and forced himself up from the bed. Remaining aware of the cluttered surroundings, the boy traversed through the pile of objects only to make it to the window. Carefully, he ducked down and peeked through the lowest point that he could. He became preoccupied halfway into his words, showing just how socially inexperienced he was. When Yuno coughed, that was what brought him back to what he was trying to tell her. With a small but honest apology, his statement went on. "You have to get used to it. I'm so sorry to tell you but this is your… No, o-our life now. Living in fear is alright, but you have to learn how to adapt or else you'll... " While he shifted upwards, getting a better look at what was going on the surface level of the hospital, the male put a cap on what he was saying. "You'll do some things that you regret, or even worse, you'll end up d-dead…" The finale to his response rang in Yuno's ears even after it left his lips- there was something about it, perhaps it was how blunt he was about something that she has found no success in not fearing? Or maybe it was the open-endedness that it carried with it- for example, what did he mean when he warned her about actions that she will regret? It was as if he knew about what he was saying, the passion that followed it would not leave someone who has not experienced what they were speaking. It was so hard to pick these kinds of things out when it came to Yukiteru- their initial meeting was already a story of its own, but every moment after has only proven that something was off about him. His mindset was a puzzle and his motives were in a league of their own- for now, it was best to keep the case at that and lay it to rest.

Giving out a sigh of defeat, Yuno let her attention roll to the ground once more. Yes, the boy had a point but it was so hard to take in just like everything else. As she had her own little moment, thinking over everything that was sent her way, as she did with everything else… Yukki continued to stare out of the window pane- only bringing his face closer to it to try to catch a glimpse of what was occurring on the ground. The balcony was within sight- if he were to turn his head upwards and look up to the left the bottom would be visible. But, a progress report was not what he was trying to get out of this. No, he was trying to use this and his entry to get an update as to where everyone was. As expected, his blue phone was opened below him- its tiny screen was on and, of course, set to the screen where he could keep track of the future of his surroundings. When he read over something, he appeared to grow far more agitated than he was before- his innocent exterior was already starting to vanish once again even if Yuno managed to drag it out before. "We…" began the boy as he tapped his fingers against the window sill impatiently "...can't stay here that long- hiding forever is not an option." That was a given, but Yuno's curiosity heightened when she heard him admit the truth. Every fiber of her being wanted to question why they could stay here much longer, since that what he made it seem like- but when his head suddenly shot down from the window and was followed by a sharp gasp, Yuno practically jumped out of her seat- or, the desk in this instance. Something happened, and it was visible that it was something that Yukiteru did not anticipate nor did he want to happen. His body shook when the future changed- and his eyes traversed downwards to skim over what was set, his grip on the base of his diary tightened. Yuno squinted her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of it but found it to be a bit hard. It was proven to be impossible to glance at when Yukki chose to turn his body to rise up from the floor that he was kneeling on before. When he swung his figure around to walk towards Yuno, the language that his body had said it all. They were in a horrible place.

Before Yuno could even ask, Yukki turned the surface of his phone so that she could see what the news was. On the bottom, in spidery writing, were the two chilling words that she dreaded. DEAD END. As unfortunate as it was to have such a flag placed down for him, Yukki instead pivoted his focus- there was no reason to lose hope just yet, in his view at least. Now was not the time to be plagued by the notification- in order to find a way out of it, the boy would have to fight. In order to initiate this, Yukiteru chose to tell his ally what happened just now and what it would most likely lead to, judging by the signs given by his future. Without as much as a "what happened?" from Yuno, he went on to update her. "I thought that it would be best to take a look outside to see what was going on. You know, the entire building is surrounded." Trying to take deep breaths to soothe himself, Yukki shuffled over to the window once more to look outside, only for Yuno to hop off of the desk and follow. He was not surprised to see the chaos that took place below, but when Yuno saw it she could not help but feel very unsettled. From the angle that she was provided with, she could see the entrance of the hospital- exactly where they were forced in by Keigo's workers. While she was taken in, it was fairly difficult not to notice the amount of people who surrounded the hospital- it seemed like they were meant to serve as security, making their rounds here and there. Instead of being gathered in the same place and position that they were in the past, they were now scattered. It was too far to pick up their expressions, but the yelling that she heard through the pane said it all. They were angry- very angry, but what was it over? Yuno, trying to understand, took out her diary and read it over. It was as if she expected that she could get the answers to everything from looking at it, but that was not the case. The future that was written in it came to an abrupt end, and the very last words that were jotted below it complimented what she had been told before.

* * *

_5/3, 17:55 [West Sakurami Hospital]_

_When Yukki comes face to face with a group of hypnotized men, he ends up getting shot to death. What now?_

* * *

That is when it struck Yuno- she did not have a DEAD END flag stuck in the mud herself- as far as she could tell from what was written, her life was home free. Of course, that could change in an instant- that is just how things played out now. But still- knowing that she herself did not have one caused things to grow far more strange than they were before. It all started with them being forcibly taken to this hospital to face a man who posed as a great ex-detective with no ill morals. He claimed over and over, time and time again- he would not hurt them, even when he suffered from the cut that Yukki inflicted on him. But now, was really he okay with going after the boy? Perhaps it was an act of revenge, or maybe it was something deeper- Yuno could not tell, but either way, something needed to be done. As long as the two were allies, as unsteady as it was, he was not to die on her watch. Yes, now was the time to muster up the courage that she experienced when she attempted to stand up for Yukki, and now it was time to bid goodbye to that annoying feeling of hopelessness that she constantly had. "I… I'm not going to let this happen to you." Yuno breathed, flipping her phone shut and keeping it in her hand tightly. "Honestly, I don't understand anything that is happening or how we got here. There are so many things that I haven't been filled in on, but… We're not going to die here." In response, Yukki's eyes shone a bit with life as his frown curved into a smile. It was sweet to him- she was worrying about him, even if it was concern about both of their lives. Her worries still contained the topic of him, and that was enough to make his heart beat against his chest. "You're funny." Yukki chuckled, taking his attention away from the window and directing it towards his beloved. "They're after me, not you. You and I both know that, don't we?" He treated it in such a light manner- it was as if the fear of death was not on his mind in the slightest. This made Yuno's sudden bravery deplete just a little bit- why did he not care about his life?

"No, I won't accept that," Yuno affirmed, standing up straight and fixating her gaze so that she could see the outside world once more. Observing the scene, she could tell that the rain was heavier than when they left the balcony earlier. The faint pitter-pat could be picked up from beyond the glass- though, it was drowned out by the yells and grunts of the workers below. They were scrambling to listen to Keigo's orders from what it seemed. While she was trying to catch up, the girl noticed that the people who were floors beneath them were looking up towards their window- and that is when she put it together. Yukki acted in a reckless manner, and this is why they were able to find him. They must have been on edge, something was driving them to find him as soon as possible- and when they saw movement from the corners of their eyes, they made note of him. With that in mind, Yuno knew that they did not have very much time to evacuate. Yukki's alleged death was said to occur in just a bit over five minutes- but the reason why it was so delayed was beyond Yuno. Shaking her head, the female turned back to Yukki and asked him a very basic question that she did not ask herself before. "But… What can we do to get out?" To this, Yukki's smile turned into a grin- it was as if he had a foolproof idea in mind that would pull them both out of the quicksand that they were trapped in- but that was not the case. With his diary in hand- the male put it close to his chest, almost like he was trying to show that he had it over his heart. "I want you to get out of here without a scratch, okay? I know how to, but I may not be able to get out of this myself." When those words sounded over the quiet room, the white noise that emitted from the air conditioner almost seemed like it increased in volume. The sheer amount of pressure that she felt in her figure was baffling- it was enough to make her arms ache when she moved them, and her legs felt like they did not exist.

Being quite oblivious to her clear discontent, Yukki put his arm out and pointed at the window, trying to get the female to notice something that he saw. "You don't have to worry, really. They're after me, and not you. I know exactly why, too." Putting his finger over the area next to what he was trying to get her to notice, the male proceeded. "There's a police car over there, and if I recall correctly, there was no sign of any interference of them when I was dragged in here. I may have been nearly out cold, but I can tell that much." Then, out came the diary once more- it was almost like Yukiteru was reading over his death and what came before it repeatedly. This was possibly his way of trying to wriggle his way out of the future- was he coming up with scenarios in his head to see what may work and what may not? Regardless, he ended up giving the rest of his explanation. "They must think that we called the police on them, and that makes sense. Fourth must be really angry, so now he's directing that anger towards me." There was a slight edge of entertainment in his voice, although it did not jut out as much as his anxiety. His emotions were nothing but a mere heap of various feelings- but that was common. As much as a clutter as it was, Yukki still kept himself together quite well. He was not very worried about himself, but was far more focused on making sure that his love was able to get away unscathed. Acknowledging his guess as to why Keigo suddenly turned, the female nodded and stepped away from the transparent view. Watching the chaos unfold was scary- although she wanted to be brave, which she planned to be, it was still horrible to think that swarms of men may be heading their way. They most likely know the room- if they caught a glimpse of Yukiteru, then they know the general location, for sure. With that information, they would be able to pinpoint them fairly easily.

Staring at Yukki and turning her head a bit, Yuno decided to blurt the first thing that she thought of- the key to make it past the men without either one of them getting caught, or even worse, killed. "We need weapons, is there anything in here that we can use?" wondered the female as she scanned the room once more. Searching for such a thing was silly, they were standing in the middle of a normal hospital room- there was no way in hell that anything designed to hurt someone would be there. No scalpels, no scissors- nothing. They would have to use their mind in order to concoct something to use to put up a fight- but Yukiteru did not seem very fond of that idea. At least, he did not wish for Yuno to get involved like she planned to do. The grin that was on his visage devolved into a smirk as he decided to reassure the female that everything was going to be okay. "Look, I'll figure that out myself, okay? I know that we're a team, but right now I want you to hide behind something. Try to stay hidden- you can do that, can't you?" It was such a blunt statement that caused Yuno's frustration to build up- it was almost like he was talking down upon her, trying to get her to stay away because she was so useless. Well, that is how she took it and it did not settle very well. Rather than going with what he said, Yuno puffed out her cheeks and let out a, "I'm not going to let you get killed! Not after this- you already reached out to me and showed me that you want to stay by my side…"

Rather than finding her concern about him very adorable, the male no longer let himself grow flustered. Instead, he mentally put his foot down and approached the girl. "I NEED you to listen to me. Remember what I said before?" Following that, he walked closer and closer until she could feel his breath against her ear- it reminded her of their first meeting when he "finally got to talk to her,'' how creepily he acted… "I don't want you to get hurt- I won't allow it. Just listen to me, don't give me any more trouble…" hissed the male as he put his hands on her shoulders. Surprisingly, he weighed her back- was he attempting to force her into a hiding spot rather than letting her do it on her own? Being shockingly aggressive, he forced his body against hers and pushed her backwards. Every time she tried to get out of his grip or step forward, he only tightened his grasp on her. While it was clear that he was trying to avoid hurting her, his fingernails digging into her skin began to rack up some pain- enough for her to let out a tiny cry to show that it hurt. "Just stop it- stop struggling and do what I say! P-Please!" Yukki practically begged as he put more strength on her- causing her to go against a closet that was in the mess of items that he used to cover the door and keep it closed. Yuno, who was not happy at all, tried to keep herself together. She wanted to yell at him to stop and she also wanted to make sure that he knew that this was not okay- what he was doing was the opposite of how she wanted to be treated. Wishing to stay silent, Yuno finally gave in and backhanded Yukki right on the side of his face with as much strength as she could bring up. At that moment, as if a switch was flicked, he let go.

"A-Ah…" Yukki let out a pathetic sound as he slightly backpedaled away from the girl- with such a short action, she made her point to him. Yes, he was being way too abrupt and was not allowing her to do what she wished to do. His protectiveness was far too much, and he allowed it to slip past his control and become way too much. A few tears began to form in his eyes as he gently rubbed the place where she hit him. "I-I'm… So sorry…" muttered Yukki, who even turned away from her after everything was said and done. It was almost as if he was not able to look her way- he messed up in such a bad way that he did not deserve to see her. Or, maybe it was something more- was he trying to hide his tears from her? Yuno, though much went down in the last few minutes, did not know what to say. Deep down, she knew that he had a point and wanted her to be safe- if she were to follow through with the plan she would most likely get out alive. Right, wait for the police to raid the building and then come out when they reach her. But it just seemed so cowardly- Yuno did not believe in that type of lifestyle, even during such a cruel survival game. Maybe it was because she felt like she would lose what honor she had? It was hard to put her finger on it- but anyways, she did not want to allow Yukki to continue to do what he was doing before. Wearing an angry look, Yuno let out a hushed bark. "You're so lucky that we have to stay quiet- if we didn't, I would have told you off…!" It was an honest confession, but there were certainly unsure feelings backing it up. Everything was so chaotic- Yuno just wanted everyone to make it out without getting hurt. Unfortunately, that was already proven to be impossible.

Yukki did not respond to her attempt to scold him- rather than listen to it, he turned away and took in a deep breath. "Okay, I'll tell you t-this… I want you to be safe, I really do- so I'd love it if you hid. I'll be your distraction." But, Yuno chose to give him the selective hearing treatment in return- ignoring what he suggested. That was not what she wanted, and she knew that she would not follow through with it. "I won't accept that, like I said," was all that she said in response to his futile attempts to get her to listen to him. They were a very dysfunctional team, and really, they had a lot to work on. It was a big part of why the two had to suffer through a downfall- if they were to have listened to each other and worked together, they may have been able to squeeze out some type of miracle. Now, they were at this point. Letting out a sigh of defeat, Yukki dropped his arms and shook his head. "You really are, u-uh… Set on that thought. I guess that I can't sway you away from it, so…" Yukiteru then raised his head, turning his attention to the ceiling as if he was trying to relax. "I just want to tell you, if you get your own DEAD END flag then it's not my fault. You can't jump from here, it's too high up. The building is surrounded. There are so many things that are against you right now and yet you choose the hard route." His words then stopped- did his thought process pause completely? It was a strange sight to see, but when he lowered his gaze and peeked over his shoulder, Yuno once again felt as if a cold breeze blew past her. "I'll end up blaming myself if you get hurt though, that's just how I am. After all, you're precious to me." To top off the unsettling atmosphere that he created with his own hands, the male finished with, "when they arrive, you better do something to get away or else they'll take you." He was beyond honest- it was brutal. Yuno could not move her body- it was as if she was paralyzed by his warning. Was it the shift in composure that got to her? She could not tell, but when she heard the very first "bang" of many against the frail door, she regained control of herself.

The door protruded outwards in such a bizarre way when the next stressful scene started up. Voices snarled from behind the wood- they demanded for not them, but "the boy" to step out with his hands up. They were not hesitant to make their aggression known through their voices, but the thuds that followed it furthered it even more. Yuno found herself, even though she swore to be confident- even going against Yukiteru to prove that she wanted to, stepping away and planting herself against the closet that she was forced onto just a few moments ago. How ironic- whenever she was introduced to a truly intense situation, she was backed away into a corner again like a tiny scared animal. As the power that was exerted on the door increased, Yukki pushed himself against the objects holding it in place completely, trying to keep it shut for as long as possible. Even with such a dangerous thing before him, the male still found time to take out his diary and skim over it to see if there were any nearby weapons. According to it, there were none in the room- he would have to use his imagination if he were to get his hands on something dangerous. To this, he scanned over the objects to see if there were any detachable parts that he could utilize to whack one of them over the head. Unfortunately, that was also not an option. Nothing would work- taking out the drawers of the desk would only hurt for a bit- but stabbing into something would stun them. Right, Yukiteru wanted to find something with a razor-like edge to it, but where could he find that?

Thinking about it much was not an option in this- even though Yukki did such a great job at barricading the door, it was simply not enough to hold back what was coming. The amount of weight increased on the door, but the pressure that the objects on the bottom provided was enough to stop it from breaking open. This would not last forever though, since the moment that they discovered that they could punch the door in from the top, everything changed. When that little "eureka" moment struck them, a hand ended up breaking through the upper section of the only thing that was defending Yuno and Yukki. They reached out, and tried to grab for anything that they could- Yukki's hair, arm, sleeve- anything would do. When their fingers curved around his shoulder, Yukiteru let out an enraged snarl. He was not going to have them come in, especially while Yuno was still out in the open. Turning on his heel to face the door, Yukki grabbed for one thing that he knew could be used against the men- and ironically, they created it themselves. Right- it was common sense, if he needed to get his hands on something sharp, then pieces of a broken door would surely do. As he pushed his legs into the barricade to keep it in place, he sent his arm out so he could grasp any piece of wood. While this happened, Yukki found himself losing track of what he was doing- the first thought that he had was that he had to split the piece that he snatched vertically. That, doubled with the fact that men were wildly trying to burst down the door caused Yukki to stumble backwards for a moment- giving the people the perfect opening to make their way into the room. That is when something happened- something that Yukiteru did not expect to see.

Leaving the spot where her feet were seemingly stuck, Yuno practically threw herself at the blockade- she knew very well that her ally was busy with something and that he would let go. This was a sign that she finally was learning to check her diary, slowly but surely. Unfortunately, she did not think about her own safety when she wedged herself into the situation. The door was busted open more while she held it back- and clearly, Yuno lacked in physical strength when compared to Yukki. The objects began to budge beneath her, and a small bead of sweat formed on her temple as she summoned all the strength she could to keep it closed. There had to be more than two men- maybe one more? Maybe even four. It was nearly impossible to tell due to how clustered their words were, but now was not the time to get distracted by such a thing anyways. Her courage was overflowing, and the rush of adrenaline that she was experiencing nearly numbed the dull pain of being punched in the back once or twice. Yes, the people who were trying to get in were very violent- they were not afraid of beating a pair of teenagers into the ground if they needed to, it seemed. Of course, the moment that the male noticed that they were being so rough with his beloved was not a very pretty one, just like earlier. One of the halves of the giant piece of wood that he grabbed fell to the ground with a thud, and the other stayed in his hand- he had no intention of letting go of it now. Clenching his teeth, Yukki flew forward and grabbed one of the men by the wrist- they were stuck where they were, no matter how much they tried to struggle. Their efforts delayed the pain, yes, since Yukki's grasp slipped and he was forced to hold onto their black sleeve instead- but when he was able to trap it for a second time, the male jabbed the sharp piece of wood into the top part of their hand over and over until the edged piece at the end came off, stuck in them as a nasty splinter. The skin was displaced- it quickly turned red and blood slowly began to ooze out as the man shot back his arm, howling in agony. Following that, Yukki dropped the broken wood as if it were trash to him- it no longer had a purpose since it could not pierce through someone's skin any longer.

In response to his vile action against one of their co-workers- the force that was put onto the poor door was only increased as the voices grew louder and more far disgruntled. Those who were on the other side were no longer playing around, not in the slightest- and the sudden boost in effort made it challenging for both Yuno and Yukki to keep the objects in place- even if they were both working together for once. The desk that Yuno was sitting on before was being pushed towards her, pushing against her back so much that she swore that it was hitting a pressure point, making it feel like electricity was coursing through her body. Yet she kept her stance, digging her ankles into the tile floor below- trying to get the soles of her shoes to catch on it so she could not be budged by the others. It was a war- opposite of a game of tug-o-war, but it reminded Yuno of it. The moment that the weak link was revealed was when everything would change, or so Yuno thought. Yukiteru, who was still working with her- stressing out his figure immensely while providing enough strength to hold them back just a little bit longer, broke the truth to Yuno very suddenly. "We're going to have to let them in," said he, knowing that his muscles would not allow him to stress them out for much longer. There was only so much that both of them could do- they were pathetic compared to the others. Their bodies were not developed fully like theirs, causing them to have quite the disadvantage. Rather than going against her teammate and giving him trouble, Yuno accepted that this was not the time and simply nodded. Right, he was the one who had his hands on a diary that- at the moment, seemed nearly omnipotent. It was best to work with him rather than against him, especially now. So, gathering the last of her energy to keep the others back, Yuno quickly asked- "what are we going to do after?" It was a logical question, truly, and Yukki had an answer for it.

Checking over the future one last time, Yukki stowed his diary away into his pocket and then slowly began to lean forward. Slowly but surely- letting them in right away would be a complete and utter disaster. "We're going to get past them and try to meet up with the police- sound good?" explained the male. For once, he spurt something that Yuno could get behind without much of a second thought. It was all that they could do, so she accepted and began to follow his lead. Less pressure was exerting, causing Yuno's body to finally catch up and ache due to the sheer amount that it was pushed- the same went for Yukki, but he kept fighting back and letting go as the seconds slipped by. At last, they reached the end of the subtle give in- and Yukki uttered the following words: "Let them in, now." At that moment, the two retreated from the door and allowed the furniture that held the "gate" closed to be moved out of the way. The desk was kicked over and the bed was rolled without a care in the world, and when the men entered, they looked at the duo with nothing but hatred. Yuno was taken aback by their expression, but Yukki simply passed it off as something that was a bit entertaining. His joy, which was hidden behind his fake anxiety, would only be heightened when one of the people exposed their gun- pointing it at the male and him alone. As if he knew that the trigger was going to be pulled, Yukki tossed himself out of the way just a few seconds before the bullet was fired- clearly, their reaction time was very poor. With a determined look on his face, Yukki took the opening to smash into the trio, putting his knee right into one of their stomachs to get them to step aside. It worked, and from what Yuno could tell, they were secure from here. Unfortunately, making assumptions such as that was something that Yuno needed to put an end to.

There was so much running involved, but it was swiftly proven that it would do them no good anymore- Yukki stopped in his tracks when he was greeted to one final woman standing before them. She had a gun, and while stepping forward, she insisted that they stop resisting and give in. Yukki then shifted- the previously confident Yukiteru faded and he stepped backward just a little bit while holding one hand up. Yuno, who was baffled by this, looked at Yukki with a curious yet horrified look- what was he doing? This was not the end of the line, correct? When he looked back in her direction, giving her a very delicate nudge on the shoulder to show that this was just another ruse put up by him. While it was a deceptive trick, allowing themselves to get cornered like this was very risky and Yuno was not sure if it was worth it. Regardless, she followed in his footsteps- putting up her hands and backing up at the same pace that he was. Further back they went, and the closer they got to the pack, the more that Yuno's heart thumped against her chest. A few more seconds rolled past, and finally, their backs were to the three men who went after them, one of which was injured by the boy. He had every intention to grab the testy boy by the hair and slam him against the wall, demanding an apology, but he kept his cool- assuming that he did not want to cause a scene.

"You little bastards caused us so much trouble- I can't wait until we get to shoot the boy." Spoke one of the males, who planned to grab one and have another man grab the other to trap them. Their hands grabbed for the ones of Yuno and Yukki, and Yuno planned to accept her fate. This must have been it- there was no way out from here. But Yukiteru on the other hand, he seemed to be ready to go through with phase two of his plan. As soon as the fingers of one of the workers brushed against his palm, Yukki grabbed them in a death grip. He then snapped his fingers back- presumably trying to break them, but failing. Following that, the boy pushed Yuno out of the line of fire- only to cause her to stumble backwards and almost lose her balance. She watched in horror as Yukki grinned wide, turning the man that he trapped in a very painful position- one where his arms were bent in a way that almost looked like he intended on popping them out of their socket- which he did not. No, Yukki only wanted to be able to move behind the man as fast as he could so that he could hold him in a death-lock. His arms went under his arms and up around his shoulders, and from there, Yukiteru slowly contorted his body so that he felt a developing feeling of discomfort in his bones. It was not meant to kill or even hurt him too much, not at all. It was just to put him in a position where he would be forced to serve as his personal meatshield. As expected, the male backed away with the man in his possession. Any sudden thoughts or movements would prove to be quite bad for the other three who were against them. They would either need to outsmart him or shoot at their fellow co-worker, it was as simple as that. The looks on their faces- the sheer amount of uncomfortableness that it bore was quite funny to Yukki. That, along with their terrible aim- proven by before, made for an interesting scene. This scene is what provided the sinister male with enough information to conclude something that he would surely break to Yuno.

Putting the second piece of sharp wood that he pocketed to the edge of the man's arm, Yukki looked side to side at the others who were staring at him. They had stopped for such a minor threat- they could easily shoot at him and get their job done if they knew how to aim properly. Yukiteru almost felt as if he could laugh at this- the others that Fourth sent after them were so inexperienced that they could not strike down someone who turned the tables, even with a severe advantage in numbers. All that he was doing was rubbing a sharp piece of wood against the arm of the man slightly to cause him to grow uncomfortable, and yet he was scared. It was not like Yukki could take his life right here, so the reason why he was frightened was beyond him. Anyways, the male turned his attention to Yuno to see if her expression had changed- and as expected, she looked just as scared as they did. No help there- he wanted to know if his death was pushed back or not since he could not reach his diary at such a dire time, but he would just have to roll with this. "Let him go, now!" One of the people in the group snarled towards the boy as if they thought that they could get him to cower in fear and behave, but to no avail. Yukki simply sent a smile his way, asking him a question that came off as extremely cold and cruel. "For what? What do I get out of it?" Not only were they shocked by such a bold question, but Yuno was too- in what place was he in to make demands like that? All that he had was a piece of wood, and they had their hands on guns- this was not going to work out, at least to Yuno. There was too big of a difference between what they had- the others surely would not give in or listen to her ally.

Or so she thought… The woman who stood before them had dropped her stance, allowing her arms to fall to her sides as she stared the male down- unsure of what to do now. The other two, who had their hands on the weapons that they had with them- ready to shoot at any given moment, shifted their grip away from their guns as if they were scared of injuring their co-worker. A small laugh bubbled up in Yukki's chest, and he was not able to suppress it enough to stay silent. As a result, a few chuckles slipped past his lips as he tightened his hold on the victim that he trapped. "I knew it," taunted the boy, "I knew that you were all too new to this kind of thing. You've never dealt with someone who was willing to put up a fight, have you?" He was greeted to silence. The atmosphere was so heavy that Yuno could practically feel it on her shoulders. Insanity began to creep up on Yukiteru as he went on even more- growing more confident by the second, which was not a very good thing in the long-run. "Yuno," continued the male, "these people aren't ex-police members, they lied about that. I could tell that you all stole those ID cards. As for where the owners of them are, I'm not sure, but... " Following his observation, the boy pushed the sharp splinter into the arm of the man with a bit more force- causing it to slip past the surface layer of his skin. "I bet that it's not good- this entire set up that Fourth has is pretty sinister. He's only making our city more corrupt, too." He was sure to emphasize the face that Sakurami City was already falling victim to many problems- it was beyond corrupt, there were so many problems that it had. Guessing from what they are given right now, it seems like the "amazing city" was only going to fall apart more and more as time progressed- this evil group that formed was a mere sign of its downfall. Though, there was no clear answer that it would continue like this. Only time can tell them what will become of Sakurami- assumptions mean nothing.

"What I'm trying to get at is…" Spoke the boy, who turned his head towards Yuno to look at her while he was talking. "These people came off of the streets of Sakurami- they were normal people who longed for a change in life, and this is how they expected to reach that." Yuno had trouble understanding what he was trying to say- it was not so much the concept, that itself was simple and anyone with a brain could figure it out. No, she was trying to wrap her head around why they would stray off of their lives to join such a dark organization. Though she did not know what it was or what it was for, the basis of it was so ill that she did not need any more proof. "Is t-that true?" The female found herself instinctively asking that, accidentally saying it out loud in a very quiet tone. In reaction to their harsh words, the woman lowered her eyebrows to give them a glower and out came the gun again. "You don't know that- you're just boldly assuming what our lives are like, you don't know anything!" Shouted she, as her finger drifted over the trigger. Curiously, Yukki stared at her and then gave her a grin- he was having a bit of fun with this, it seemed. "So you're going to shoot your friend?" Yukki challenged her, allowing the wood to travel deeper into his skin. "Drop the gun- all of you. I'll leave you alone if you listen." It was as simple as that- the male wanted them to leave their weapons on the ground so there was no more strife. Though the other reason why he wished for this to happen was obvious- he wanted to get his hands on a gun that he could use to face others. Fortunately, his claims were correct- these poor people were just normal civilians who longed for some sort of wild change in their lives. They were not accustomed to such violence- their souls had not yet been honed to deal with this type of situation, they were frightened. One by one, the guns fell to the floor with a small clank. Yukki nodded at this, giving them one last warning to make sure that they would not try anything funny on his watch. "If any of you pick it up, I'll make sure that you die right here."

Yuno watched as the boy turned the man loose- he stumbled forward and fell to his knees, trying to rub the aching feeling out of his new wound that was inflicted by the wood. Like before, Yukki tossed it aside as if it were nothing- he now had a gun to use, and that was good in his book. One by one, he checked over the guns to see which one was best. Three of them were barely loaded, only one bullet remained in each. The last one that he found had two more bullets than the last- making for a grand total of three. Yukki kneeled to the ground, putting the guns onto the ground and rummaging through them to extract the bullets and add them all into one- he had the time to do so right now since they avoided one disaster. Halfway into doing this, Yukiteru looked at his diary to see what his future looked like. To his surprise, the DEAD END flag had still not been lifted- but he managed to push it back by twenty minutes. Of course, Yukki raised an eyebrow at this- he expected it to be delayed further or even negated, but it was not. Great, they were still going to try to stop him, which would only make things drag on longer than they needed to. As Yukki continued transferring the bullets, he looked up at Yuno and chose to whisper what he could tell about their plan to her. He motioned for her to come closer, which she did not want to do after what happened before- but it seemed to be best. Thus she, did, kneeling on the ground next to him and watching him finish loading the gun that the others coughed up for him. "Okay... " confirmed Yukki, making sure that the girl knew that his weapon was set up and ready to use. "I know that you don't want to- but if anything goes wrong, I need you to retreat for me. Do you get it?" Yes, Yuno did understand but the worry from before still stood. She did not want her only half-ally to die so early into the game that they had to face. She wanted to make this clear, but when she opened her mouth, Yukki put the back of his hand against her lips to get her to stop talking. "No, don't argue with me now. Just keep that in mind, okay? That's all that I'll ask of you."

This has been pushed before, but Yuno knew that Yukki cared about her a lot- it was very obvious. The only problem that came up due to it was simple- as always, his love went too far. This was proven by what happened in the hospital room, how he pushed himself onto her and attempted to force her to hide, but did not succeed. Deep down, there was some type of pure love that formed during his time at school- she was not sure how it happened though. Before, he called himself a "fan" of all things, which meant that he adored her even while he kept his place as the observer. It was difficult to understand how he could come to love her so much with such a small reason- he could have had a crush on her, yes, but how he was exceeded every boy who longed for her by far. Sighing, Yuno decided to not give the concerned male any more trouble. Nodding, she accepted his proposal- get away if anything goes wrong and do not look back. If she could change it though, Yuno would surely stay here with Yukiteru and make sure that he gets out too. Sadly, it is not that easy. Once his hand was removed from her lips, Yuno lowered her gaze and quickly added something to what he said- maybe it was an attempt to sway him from that conclusion, but they both knew that it would not work. "I just… I want you to stay around, I know that I have trust issues and I hate it. I want to get away from them- but you seem to be someone who I can somewhat trust." With that, her shoulders went limp and she tapped her finger on the ground, trying her best to do away with the painful feeling of irony that she had. "I really, really hate to admit that with everything that I've thought about you in mind- but still…" Yes, this was a statement that she has needed to say for a long time. It backed up her confusion just a little bit more, though, it was already justified by everything that was going on. Anyways, Yukiteru understood what she was trying to convey to him and as a result, he spread his arms and hugged her. As sudden as it was, that action held a lot of weight to it. Showing not only Yukki's love and concern for Yuno, but how much she meant to him. Their embrace lasted just a minute before Yukki let go of her, gifting the female with a small but sweet smirk. "Everything will be okay. D-Don't worry about me." said the boy, as he looked her in the eyes with his life-filled pupils.

There was a hint of sadness in his tone as he mumbled those last words, it was as if he was worried about something going wrong. Was this a promise that he could not go through with? Yuno was not sure but was not given much time to think about it. Just like that, Yukiteru's composure changed, as did his eyes. The adorable, delightful male who just stood before her was gone already- replaced with a far more cruel and unforgiving side. Standing up promptly, the male made his way over to the group of workers who were without guns. From a distance, they appeared to be talking and discussing what to do while Yuno and Yukki were having their own conversation- so the male did not suspect that anything was off. Without a second thought, the gun that he held was pointed in the direction of one of the men's heads- right above the back of their neck. "I want more bullets. Give them to me." Yukki ordered while progressively pushing the metal against them more and more to cause them to feel a dull sense of pain. At first, there was a reaction- the body of the man contorted in a way to lessen the pressure on him- anything to get the vile thing away from him. That was a natural reaction, and exactly what Yukiteru wanted to see when he did this. Following it, the other three turned around and looked at their colleague. Figures, he stopped in his tracks and was no longer a part of the little horizontal line that they formed while trying to get away from the duo. When their visages were within Yukki's view, he could make out the fact that they looked scared- yes, they were themselves for sure. It seemed like they longed to speak, their lips were trembling and the corners of their mouths were moving and yet they did not speak. How strange- things were starting to get very weird and Yukki did not like the feeling that it gave off at all. Due to how they acted, the boy put a safe distance between them and himself just incase anything happened- and for good reason.

Noticing the unsettling behavior was easy, even Yuno took note of it when she looked back up at what was in front of her. Her ally was inching his way closer to the girl, but did not bother to face her way- that is exactly what told her that something was wrong. They were unresponsive- it was as if their bodies stopped working properly and all they could do was stand there. Yukki pointed the gun at them as he gritted his teeth- it was evident that he was growing quite antsy. Though he denied to get trigger happy, that would do nothing but bad for both him and his beloved. Instead, he played strategically- looking at his diary for just a second to see if anything in his future was rewritten. Oddly, there was no shift in it even after this unexpected event. What exactly was going on here? Their pupils lacked any sign of life, and the twitchiness of their eyes and lips made it obvious that something was going to go wrong. Finally, they began to walk towards the duo slowly- and even when Yukki aimed the gun at them, they did not flinch. They continued to look scared- as if they were fighting against themselves. This was not good at all- at this rate they were going to make it to Yuno and Yukki. The boy's grip on the gun began to grow quite shaky as he watched them get closer to them. Yes, he had bullets and surely had the time to shoot them, but something was holding him back completely. His expression did nothing but support this- his once serious expression morphed into that of fear and hesitance. Somehow, after everything he has done to hurt others, something as simple as pulling the trigger was difficult for him. When Yuno picked this up, her view on Yukiteru was absolutely flipped over. Just who was this boy?

Step after step, the four people got closer to the two at a pathetic pace. Yukki still had one problem- it was almost like he was having an internal fight with himself. It must have been on the topic of whether he should kill them or not, because when their speed grew, his hands only wrapped around the gun even tighter than before. After a few seconds passed by, the workers were finally close enough to the two to serve as a threat. One of the men practically threw themselves at them- roaring as they did so, which startled Yuno so much that she froze. There was no escape, and both of them knew that very well- even if they were to book it once more, they would only be caught again. Out of instinct, Yuno still tried to fight back for her life, causing her to sidestep out of the way before they even struck her. Such an action was not necessary though, because the moment that the person dared to make such a bold attack towards his love, Yukki shut his eyes completely and put the gun to his chest. Down came the trigger, and the bullet shot out, going through him slowly- so much so that it got caught in his body before it could come out. The man instantly began to bleed out, and to make matters worse, he now had a bullet stuck in himself- survival rates for this kind of injury were low. He did not die right away- it was such a sloppy shot that the job was not done right off of the bat. Instead, the worker's legs gave out due to the insane amount of pain that he felt from the metal that had lodged itself in his chest. Moans of pain left his lips as the sinful red color started to soak the floor beneath the teens- to the point where they began to make their way away from them to avoid getting any on their shoes. Taking Yuno's hand in his, Yukki did his best to try to gain some distance on them- not that they could leave the hall. If they did, they would surely be caught- Yukki's DEAD END just solidified that. As long as it stood, they were not going to escape.

The way that their future was not changing was peculiar, it was almost as if time was at a stand-still. Even though Yukiteru went through with such a bold movement- shooting the worker in the chest as they went after them, the future still did not shift and neither one of them could wrap their head around that. Everything was foggy for a moment, but when Yukki heard footsteps behind him everything became clear to him in an instant. Right, they just fell into a trap that was devised by a certain someone that both of them hated so much. Turning his head to look behind them, Yukki was not greeted with three workers- no. His eyes picked up four of them- the one who was on the ground due to the wound before forced himself up once again. Unlike before, they did not have the face of a human being. They were distant- their pupils were dilated and dull, almost as if they were walking corpses. Hypnotization. That is exactly what happened, and Yukki managed to forget that it played a factor in this little war that they got themselves involved in. In a blink of an eye, the boy recycled his fear completely and replaced it with something else that Yuno feared. Here we go again- the cycle was continuing, as usual, her ally lost control of himself once again. Without an ounce of panic, Yukki stopped where he was and confronted the situation head-on. Yuno, instead of pausing, kept running as fast as she could- unknowing as to why she was. The female wanted to stop and help him, she really did- but how could she do it if she herself did not have a weapon to back her teammate up with? All that she would be doing is holding him back from fighting back. There were no resources, no plausible reason as to why she should have stayed by his side. So, she pushed on- but once the girl reached the end of the corridor, she stopped everything.

There was a reason why she did- it was a sight to be seen, truly. Staring back at the scene that she nearly abandoned out of instinct was something that Yuno would regret, no doubt about that. Because, her ally kept his ground, but he did it in such a despicable way that she could not swallow what she saw at first. The first casualties of the survival game- the death cards were dealt, and they were about to pick them up and lose their lives. Indeed, Yukki extended his arms and stood before them- directing the foul gun in their direction, void of that initial anxiety that he exerted when he was pressured into shooting someone. The lack of that feeling pushed Yukki over the line- his insanity was back once again, and it was at full force- just like the rain that was now lashing against the windows of the hospital. One shot rang out, at last, and it was not very pretty. On top of being very strong when angered, Yukiteru's aim appeared to be spot on. Without breaking a sweat or skipping a heartbeat, the male pulled the trigger and aimed for the neck of the woman who was dashing towards him- thus creating the first shot, and the very first death brought about the game by his hands. The bullet penetrated her skin once it met it, tearing off the surface layers in seconds- and with just a few, it dove deeper into it, crushing her trachea. Then, the bullet exited her body, but not without an unpleasant view of blood right after. Her mouth went limp, and so did her body- and following that, her entire figure collapsed to the ground. It seemed as if she did not feel the pain of being killed in such a way since she was hypnotized, but it still did a number on her- enough to make it clear that she died from the accurate bullet.

Even though their comrade fell to one of Yukki's bullets, the other three went on as if nothing happened- just proving that they were no longer themselves. They were now nothing more than Twelfth's mere puppets- in fact, every one of them were. None of the people who joined Keigo's side had any idea that they were signing their soul away to a twisted man who had the power to control others against their will. Three examples were right in front of Yukki, but rather than paying attention to that fact and showing mercy- he treated the scene like a shooting gallery. In this case, they were moving targets that the male had to shoot down before they reached him, thus the little source of entertainment was born. But, was he truly happy about doing such a thing? His expression did morph into that of a creepy grin, nor did he show any sign of joy as he adjusted his gaze to shoot the others down. This was nothing like the time when Yukiteru beat up their peers with nothing but sheer bliss- instead, he was very focused and had not cracked a smile once. Yes, he may have chuckled here and there when he noted how pathetic they were or how terrible their aim was, but when it comes to harming or killing them- it seemed as if the male did not want to do it. The reason behind this is unknown, but Yuno had a chance to think on the topic. Of course, she did not, the next bullet was sent out just a few seconds after the first one- Yukki aimed right for one of the men's chest and or neck area. Striking there would be vital- but the head would also be great. For now, he played safe and let the bullet go- and yes, it did impale the next man as expected. Unlike the last one that did not make it through the body completely, this one escaped and- in result, the red sin practically burst from his mouth. Down he went, the terrifying red following him. With a small thud and even a splat, the man landed on the ground and twitched just a few more as he experienced the last moments of his life. As his soul drained out of him, so did the blood that slipped past his open wounds. A terrific shot, truly, but that was not it for Yukki. No, he had two more to go.

Still void of a reaction, the two remaining men grew scarily close to Yukki, to the point where he had to back up to aim properly. They were still far too out of it to think rationally- so aiming was not a challenge, still. Hitting the injured one was the least of his worries- the bullet was lodged so deep into him that walking became a trouble. Yes, although they could not feel pain, they still suffered through the repercussions of getting hurt. He was tired, all that he wished to do was to lay down and allow the rest of his life to slip by- thinking about his family that he may or may not have left behind for this "new life" that Keigo promised to bring. But his mind was behind invaded- he could not think straight, the voice that he heard was far too powerful for him to continue on with his proper train of thoughts. So he ran- kept running like they told him to. Kill, kill, kill- though, he did not know why is body and mind were telling him to do so. The next shot was dealt, and the bullet that reached the man's ally hit him right in the center of his head. In the bullet went, and it went out on the other side- causing the person to instantly lose their balance and stumble a bit more before they collapsed to the ground. Blood gushed out of his head due to where Yukiteru shot him, and when his head was propped on the floor it only spilled out even more for just a few more seconds, leaving a puddle on the ground. The death was so insignificant to Yukki it seemed, he simply adjusted his gun upwards after looking down for just a second. It was time to make the last kill at last- the one that would make the coast clear for both him and Yuno. But, something changed.

The last bullet that determined the future- the very one that Yukiteru needed to land in order to press on without a problem… It grazed the neck of the limping man, causing it to continue flying in the air and rattle on the ground just a moment later. The male's eyes widened- what just happened, exactly? Life returned to him once again, and when he finally did come to terms with where he was just mentally, he was tackled to the ground. Without thinking, the gun came out of his hand and slid out of reach as blood began to drench his sweatshirt and face- yes, the man was still pouring blood from the two wounds that he had inflicted upon him. It was unpleasant to say the last- the teen's hands grew slippery as he tried to force him off of him, but could not. Every ounce of his strength was being used against Yukki, and time was also not on his side. The DEAD END flag was still planted in the earth and it was not knocked away due to his little slip up. Glancing down the hall revealed that a group of more workers were waiting for the two- but specifically the one who cut into their boss. Marching down the hall at a strange and unsettling pace, the men and women inched closer to the boy who struggled to escape. This was the end of their plan to run away, and it certainly appeared that this was the end of the line for Yukiteru. Out of instinct, the boy looked upwards as an attempt to look behind him. Yuno was there, staring with nothing but anxiety in her expression- she wanted to help him so bad but there was nothing they could do. The boy flung his bloodied hand outwards, signaling for her to leave the mess of a scene while she could. His eyes were not icy nor were they dull- no, they exerted signs of fear. Taking in a breath and attempting to suppress her tears, Yuno looked away from the struggling boy and pivoted on her ankle- running in the opposite direction. The allies had been separated at last.

As Yukki watched his beloved scurry off to safety, he only struggled a bit more due to the immense amount of pain that he felt. The man was pushing his elbow directly into Yukki's stomach- it caused his lungs to release shaky breaths of pain, which were only furthered the more and more that he forced his elbow bone down onto him. This was it for him, he guessed- the group finally reached him and exchanged very slurred and irrational words as they stared him down. They must have been thrown off by the fact that they did not need to hold him down anymore- no, Yukiteru was no longer putting up a fight against them. His face, which was riddled with terror before, was now replaced with a slight smile. Tears rolled down his face as he looked up at the bright white light that was propped above him- it lulled him to sleep, almost. Yes, nothing mattered anymore- if he was going to die here, then everything would be okay. After all, Yuno got out safe and sound. His smile morphed into a grin as he let out a few cries- there was nothing to be scared of, now was the time to be happy. If everything worked out, she would be okay and live on without him. It is not like she needed him anyways- he was so forceful with her, so rude… There was no need for him to stick around if all that he did was hurt her. With this in mind, his wet eyes shut. No more talking- the last thing he had to do was make sure that Keigo did not get an edge on the one that he cherished.

In a way, Yuno came full circle with the struggle that she often had to deal with. Getting angry at herself for leaving every situation that bothered her- feeling weak and helpless, as if nothing can be done by her… That is something that she had to deal with, and really, she managed to get used to it as time progressed. But now, it was burning more than ever before- it became such a problem that she left her teammate who she swore that she would protect to die. It pained her to think of what could be happening to him right now- so much so that Yuno completely denied to look at her diary for any information. The words would make her cry- and that was something that she despised doing. There was nothing that she could do to avoid it though- not now. If she did not check her diary, then there would be no way for her to save Yukki. Right, maybe there is still a small chance that she can alter the future and save him from what happened. It may be extremely risky and dumb to do, especially after the sacrifice that her ally made, but there was no way in hell that she was going to leave it off at this. Beginning to muster up any courage that she could, Yuno flipped out her light blue phone to scan over the entries. What was coming up for Yukki was terrible, to say the least. He was going to be physically harmed even more than he was before. In Twelfth's view, this must have been "karma" or "revenge" for everything that Yukiteru has done to him- but really, it was a poor way to release his anger. Having the hypnotized henchmen punch and kick Yukki until he apologized for everything that he did to both Fourth and himself was not mature, nor was it proper. But, as Yukki said, this is just the nature of the game. If that was true, which it was, then Yuno was going to have to take action on his behalf- even if it involves hurting one of the workers. As much as she did not want to, it was justified- they tried to hurt them time and time again, so this could be taken as "an eye for an eye," really.

According to what was written, Yuno had around eighteen minutes to fix what went wrong. If she wanted any hope to save her teammate- to stop Keigo from shooting him right in the head- she would have to hustle. That she did, especially when she recalled something that Yukiteru told her before- a word that holds a lot of weight to it, at least when he went on about it. Act. In order to change the future and bring out a miracle of some sort, actions would have to be taken to make it happen. Although the "actions" that were involved in this were not the kind that the female wanted to take- hurting people was not her forte, and for good reason- it was best to go along with it. A weapon. That is exactly what she needed to find, anything would do as long as it could get someone off of her. Killing them was out of the question at first, but the more she thought about it, her plan was so risky that she may just have to do as such in the process. Not wishing to think about such a thing, Yuno closed her diary and squared it away so she could focus on finding something to utilize against the hypnotized workers while heading towards the lower floors. Running seemed useless at first- nothing of use could be spotted, there were only signs and doors. Some plastic boxes to hold hand sanitizer could be seen from time to time, but it would not do her much good in the long run. What she needed was something hard- something to drive people away. A bottle of hand sanitizer would not do that, even if it would hurt to have it get brought down on your head.

Finally, she reached a flight of stairs that were also located next to an elevator, which at this moment was a death sentence. Anyone could pop up in it, even Twelfth- and the scariest part was that Yuno could not predict who it would be. Right now, she was in a dead zone- her diary was meaningless without Yukiteru. It spoke of his future and did its job very well, yes, but when she was without him, it did nothing useful. All that she could do was rely on instinct and hope that she could perform her plan- the gift of indiscrimancy was not on her side this time, putting her at a severe disadvantage. That was not enough to put her down though- unlike most people who would be too anxious to make any more bold actions, Yuno pushed on. Maybe she was being a little bit too reckless- this is just how she was, though. Coming closer to the stairs, enough to see the downwards slope- the female picked up something from the corner of her eye. There was a fire extinguisher located next to the elevator, according to a sign that was set up next to it. It must have been there since people can reach the exit through it- if needed, someone could access the extinguisher quite easily. Perhaps there was one on every floor, too- that made sense. There was nothing else to lose, so Yuno homed in on it and quickly realized that it would not be that easy. It was surrounded by glass and there was nothing to break it with- at least nothing that was readily available to use. A hammer was located above it, but it was purposely taped down in every way possible so one could not grab it- must have been another "safety precaution" set up by the wondrous group of rebels, just like the lack of a lock in the hospital room that her and Yukki squatted in for a bit. Growing quite desperate, Yuno put some distance between her and the safety glass and dashed towards it- smashing it with her shoulder bone and the weight of her body. It hurt so much- the glass did not shatter since it was very dull, it only broke part of it and the rest stood. Yuno's skin got caught on the razor-like edges of the glass, and she forced it out with an audible grunt of pain. Blood raced down her arm as she shivered and reached for the fire extinguisher. At least she got it- now she had something to defend herself with if necessary. Now, she had to find out how to sneak around the workers to get to Yukiteru. Of course, that is much easier said than done.

Holding the extinguisher in one arm and cradling her injured shoulder with her hand, Yuno tapped down the stairs to perhaps go under and then around the workers- if she were to take that approach, perhaps it would work out. At this point, she had no clue what to do- her diary was such a limitation since it did not provide any insight of what she was planning to do. Outnumbered, outpowered, and worn out- Yuno trudged further and reached the panel that connected the stairs to the other set- above this area was a window, and from what the female could tell, the sun finally went to rest. They spent the entire day in here somehow and yet it felt like an hour at most. Everything was happening so fast, and the same could be said for the weather outside- the moon was not in sight, it was covered by dark clouds that were still lashing rain down upon the city. A rumble of thunder could be heard here and there, but it was hard to catch any flashes of lightning. Getting distracted like this was not good though- Yuno tore her attention away from it and let out a huff as she pulled herself down the stairs. Yes, she had to make haste if she wanted to be able to save her teammate- letting herself get hung up on something was stupid. Once again, adrenaline took hold and the girl walked past the door without being stealthy- not even a slight thought of checking in on who may be waiting for her crossed her mind. This was her first mistake, and the only one that she needed to make in order to be brought into a corner. Her path intersected that of a squad of workers- and just like the ones who took Yukki hostage, their minds were being controlled. The puppets spotted her almost instantly, it was as if they had an animalistic instinct- as if it was heightened from that of a normal human's. When Yuno took note of who was facing her, she found herself attempting to put some space between them. This resulted in her backpedaling back to the place with the stairs- she stood in between the opening for just a second longer before heading up the stairs- praying that they did not see her and that it was just her imagination. Life would not be lenient with the female.

Heavy footsteps sounded from beyond the arch that opened the stairway up to the fifth floor, and out came three men holding guns. Yuno did not understand why they pointed the unforgiving thing at her when they first caught sight of her- after all, she did not have a DEAD END of her own. Yet, they did- and slowly, they approached her while keeping their heads high. Clutching the fire extinguisher to her chest- Yuno tried to wear her most threatening glare as an attempt to ward them off which, of course, would prove to be completely useless. They only treaded up the stairs with a look lacked humanity. When they finally reached her, instead of taking flight, Yuno took action just like she told herself to do in her head repeatedly. If this was it, then so be it- she might as well go out with a bang. Bringing the metal above her head with her bloodied hands, Yuno brought it down onto their heads- trying to whack them enough to force them to retreat or let go of her. What she believed may work wonders was shown to be futile- any resistance was not going to do anything for her. Ever since Yukki was taken from her side, it was evident that she would not be able to fight anyone without him. Her diary was far too weak- it just did not work out. Yuno flailed herself around a bit as they grabbed her hair, and even pushed on her wounded shoulder which only caused more red to ooze past the busted skin. Not much time was needed for the girl to lose her balance, and with that, she tumbled to the ground with the three men on top of her. What were they doing- and why were they apprehending her like this? The extinguisher was ripped from her possession and thrown down the stairs as if it was nothing more than trash to them, and following that, a gun was put to Yuno's temple. Yet, a future shift did not occur.

If this was not the end for Yuno, then what was it? Yuno was beyond confused- but fear was the predominant feeling by far. Her heart was beating against her chest rapidly, it almost felt like she was about to throw it up. Above her, there were loud shouts that boomed from the men- it was like they were arguing over what to do with the female- like they did not expect to catch her so soon. Hearing one of them growl, "not only did we get one job done, but now we can tell them that we finished two!" come from one side explained it all. Yuno was not safe from the beginning- it was hard to remember since they singled in on Yukki so much, but she was also on their hit list. Twelfth must have directed the underlings to catch her next, and since she was so close to where they were, the chance of her getting around them was not existent. Even if there were no signs of hope, Yuno continued to fight against them- trying to wiggle her way out of their grip, or even reach far enough to snatch the gun out of their hands. Neither thought worked out- in all, the female was stuck. While it did not take very much for her to get into this mess, the truth is that she did not have a chance to change the future to begin with. She was not enough to bring about a miracle- though she tried her best, it only resulted in her getting hurt. Letting out snarls of frustration that had a deep rooted sense of fear to them, Yuno kept reaching. No use, why even bother when she was not able to muster what was required for a future shift? She was a useless girl who could not fend for herself, at least, that is how she viewed herself. It has always been that way, and from Yuno could tell it would always be like that. The idea was simply extended when she felt something cold against her hands- they forced her wrists together and snapped a pair of handcuffs onto her so she could no longer flail around. Wonderful, she really was stuck here...

There was something that she did not know though- nor did the others who kept her planted on the ground. Even Twelfth and Keigo did not know what was about to happen- nobody expected such a thing. Above Yuno, who was in the process of being held down until a higher up arrived, a very loud explosion rang out. It shook the entire building, but since it was so close to Yuno, it almost felt like a very strong earthquake. Her ears crackled from the shockwave that came just a few seconds after the blast- it hurt to hear, and Yuno swore that her eardrums just got damaged from it- but most importantly, it sent the others falling to their backs. Then, the rubble and the smoke came. Coughing, the girl tried to stand to avoid any pieces of the floor that may fall from above- having such a thing fall on her would hurt her far more than the glass from earlier did. Dirt and dust fell and then rose from the ground, and some of it even made a home in Yuno's open wound- causing it to sting quite a bit. Hissing, the girl staggered backwards into the wall to hold herself up. Unlike the men who were flung into the hard surface behind them, the female was able to get to her feet and look at what happened. The rain from the outside world began to hit the floor as a proud laugh erupted from whatever caused such a thing to happen. It was a woman- figuring that out did not take much of a brain. As more and more pieces of the hospital fell to the floor and the structure of the building creaked, trying to adapt to its new form, the laugh grew quieter, turning into a giggle and then a chuckle. Smoke began to escape the area, running into the night sky- making it far easier to see someone who was sitting on a solid part of the floor that was meant to be above Yuno. Her feet dangled, making it possible to look at her red and black dress shoes. "Gahaha," out came another snicker as the legs of the woman swung back and forth. "Hooo, boy. You have no idea how good that felt. I haven't done that in YEARS!"

It took a few minutes to see who was sitting above her- but as the scene was clear of more and more smoke, it became less of a hassle. Above her shoes were a pair of long black socks that had pink stripes here and there. Then came the weird part- she wore an off-colored white dress- it had the most subtle tint of purple to it, but the dark laces that kept it together brought Yuno's attention away from it. Finally, her eyes met the woman's hair- it was a strange color, just like hers- it had a clear hue of dark purple, and the fascinating strands of hair were tied back in a ridiculous manner- creating two messy twin tails above her head. The front part of her hair was curled, creating a clear spiral that caused Yuno to notice her light pink headband. Really, it was a strange getup- it seemed so innocent, far too innocent for someone who just destroyed the corner of a hospital building. The female stared at the girl for just a moment, enough for her to also take note of her- and when she realized that she was there, the woman gave her a smirk and a small wave to signify that she was not focusing on hurting her. In fact, when Yuno failed to notice that the three men were starting to wake up after what happened, Minene reached for a tiny handgun that she also packed- aiming it for the three of them and shooting them down onto the ground once more. While the shots were not very accurate, it was enough to get them to stop moving. How neat- the woman knew where to strike in order to make it impossible for someone to come to their feet for a few minutes. It was not deadly, but it rendered them paralyzed for enough time for the two to exchange some words.

"Hurry up here, will ya?" Spoke the woman as she motioned for Yuno to get closer. "I see that you got handcuffed, and I can help you out with that." At first, the girl was not sure if she should really approach her or not- after all, she was so happy about causing destruction like she did. But still, she did manage to spare the lives of the hypnotized men unlike her ally. So, keeping this in mind, Yuno took her back off of the wall and stepped forward, heading up the stairs towards the person who wanted to see her. Before any introductions were given out, the woman put her hand out and simply said, "let me see the chain." Unsure of why she wished to see it, Yuno hesitated, only leaning down a little bit to give her access to her hands- but the woman proved to be quite strict when she wanted something. So, her hands came out- grabbing the chain between the cuffs in one and holding it up with the other. When her purple eyes got the chance to look over them for just a moment, she ended up smiling again- it was difficult for her not to chuckle due to something that she saw. "That's funny, honestly. The handcuffs that they're using are super outdated, must be some hand-me-downs or something like that." admitted she, as her hand danced over to the very middle of the chain. With an effortless yank, the handcuffs broke in half. They were still stuck to her wrists, but that was the least of her worries- now, she was able to move her arms again without any trouble. Feeling thankful, Yuno let out a small "thank you so much." To that, the female was met with a cheerful look- as stated before, it was weird to see her look so joyful after doing such a thing- and even stranger, it looked like she was armed to do more damage. High tech devices were spread across her dress- and the most notable was one that was attached to her waist- it was like a screen, and she could use it to remotely detonate any bombs. From what she could tell, the entire hospital was covered with many bombs that the others were not aware of. As for how she got them in, Yuno did not know, nor did she have a clue to even start to figure it out. Either way, now was not the time to think about it. The woman did respond to her, gifting her with a "no problem."

Then came the introductions- that was the next thing that they had to do in order to get to know each other real quick. So, the woman held out her hand for some type of handshake as she stated who she was- but that was not all that she said, there was more to it that shocked Yuno. "Nishijima Minene is the name- or you can call me Ninth or whatever, I don't really care." She was so truthful with her words that Yuno could not help but to chuckle- even though it was very weird to run into another diary user in such a place, the girl had trouble being shocked due to how many she has met throughout the day. She did not speak yet, though. After all, her introduction was not done yet. "I'm a part of the Sakurami Police Force- or at least, I guess you could say that I am. We're here to back you two up- so thanks for that, err... " The words that were leaving her lips then slowed to a stop since she did not know the female's name or number- she never bothered to look into it. So, Yuno filled in the blanks for her. "Gasai Yuno. Or Second. I'm not used to that nickname yet, though." In response, Minene nodded as if she completely understood her trouble with the number that they were all forcibly assigned. "Yeah, I get it. Let's just skip the formal part, I'm just going to refer to you as Yuno. Sound good?" Her behavior could be considered rude by some people- they would want to be referred to formally, for sure. That was common in the city, but meeting someone who was willing to go off of that norm was pretty cool. Yuno nodded to show that she was okay with being called that, and then she got a sudden urge to ask more questions to try to understand what she was doing here. But, that did not occur right away, because Minene spurt one more thing that caught her off guard. "Pretty nice how we didn't cross paths in a bad way, right? The less conflict the better."

What did she mean by that? It was difficult for Yuno to understand at first, but the more she thought about it, the more it came together. This person is a diary user, which meant that they were at the initial meeting yesterday. During that time, she met someone who approached her and told her and Yukki to continue to survive. In fact, that very woman was the one who demanded Deus to answer when Yukiteru asked him a question, and all around was someone who inspired Yuno a bit. When she recalled that voice, the female was taken aback- the words, the way she talks, all of that matched up with the one who stood before her. At that moment, another puzzle piece was put together and she knew exactly what she meant. Then, the words that were exchanged during that time hit Yuno once again- giving her a reminder of what Minene was like.

_-"Hey. I'm not really to say sappy things like this, but I saw how the others kept talking bad on you and the other kid." She began, taking her hand off of Yuno's shoulder. "Now, I'm not going to make any promises. If I find you and hurt you, that's just what happens. But I'll tell you this, and I hope that it helps you at least a little bit." And with that, the woman took in a long and calm breath as she walked back and faced slightly trembling girl. "Survive. Both of you." As quickly as she came to Yuno's side to give her some sort of support, she left. When she stepped away, the woman did not grace the other two with so much as a look- it seemed like she was only concerned about the two who had been bashed on by the very rude user. Taking her time, the woman walked to her part of the circle and put her head down, allowing the light to shoot up and take her away without so much as a trace left over.-_

Yes, that was her- an upfront but kind person who seemed to care about others who did not have ill intentions. While it did not make her feel completely at ease since the face still stood- she was a diary user. But, it certainly did help lighten things up a bit more. Yuno smiled at Minene, nodding her head and responding with a, "yup. I'm glad that we didn't- it makes things much more simple." Minene nodded back, trying to cut down on words because it seemed like she had something important to bring up. So, getting to her feet with a "hup," the woman gazed at the hallway's opening and then back at Yuno. It was time to bring up why she was here- since she was sure that the female was wondering that. Her mouth opened, and then the explanation came. "I said this, but I'm a part of the police force. We're super dysfunctional right now, really, that's a given. There's been so many problems here and there that it's just hard to get along. Fortunately, a few of us still get along- and when we saw this opportunity, we came running." The confusion on Yuno's visage after that statement was evident, and Minene took note of it right away. It made sense for her to not take in what she just said, so the woman decided to get into more detail to hopefully clear it up. Thus, the justification continued. "I'm not the only one here- actually, the entire building is surrounded. Some fellows stormed the area, and I'm pretty sure that they're doing very damn well at keeping Fourth's side at bay. All it took was an opening, and you and the other kid provided it by staying on your toes and making a run for it. Thanks for that."

That made sense- Yuno and Yukki's attempts to escape the scene seemed to distract Keigo- it was almost as if their attempts to get away set him off completely and caused him to lose his temper- and his mind, even. The girl was glad that she could be of help in that way- they would be able to catch the criminal who gave himself such a big name within the city tonight, and it was because he decided to take them in- but they would not go down without a fight. Yuno opened her mouth to say "you're welcome," but Minene began to walk forward without listening to such a thing. Then, she motioned for Yuno to follow along with her- they were going to walk the halls together, presumably going somewhere. "Hey, come with me. I'll tell you a bit more while we move, but really, standing here will get nothing done." She then smirked again, making her role in this mission clear. "I'm supposed to be the one distracting the people with my explosions now, after all. I gotta keep making a scene, y'know?" Of course, Yuno realized how she said "now" and quickly asked what she meant by it, only to be greeted with a kind- "Ah, my first job was to locate you. You were pretty easy to find since you didn't move that much from the office, so…" And that is when it hit Yuno- right, their attempts- even if they were respectable, meant nearly nothing. They only made it down two floors, their goal was not close whatsoever. Getting a bit embarrassed over that, Yuno let out a sigh and looked away from the woman. It was made clear that her patience was being worn down already- with a sharp huff, Minene demanded, "are you coming or not?" The girl knew that it was best to follow along with her, so Yuno swiftly replied with a "yes" and began to walk in her direction. Then, Minene turned on her heel and began to step down the hallway. Unlike how Yuno was before, Minene was not nervous to walk down the halls at all. In general, she seemed to be kind but did not show any concern for people who were weak, which supported the reason why she did not say anything about Yuno's cut on her shoulder.

While they made it deeper into the hallway- trying to get to the stairway that was on the other end of the one that they entered, Minene decided to go into detail of what she was saying before just a little bit more. "We have four higher-ups here tonight, including me. Two of them are raiding Fourth's office to see if the sorry bastard decided to stay there to smoke a cigarette or something. They were also tasked with apprehending and arresting any of his underlings that oppose them, so that's that." confirmed Minene as she looked down at her little device's screen- trying to see if there were any activity over the areas where she planted the bombs. There was none, so she looked back up and focused on what she was saying before. "Then, we have my husband here. He's in charge of directing the other policemen and women- keeping them in check. Without him, things would most likely get a bit chaotic so it's nice to have him around." It was good to hear what the plan was- but Yuno still did not know who sent them. It could be concluded that they discovered what was going on through the power of diaries, and Yuno had yet to learn about what Minene's was. So, out of curiosity, she brought it up. "I understand- but how did you figure out that we were here? A-And what's your diary's topic?" Questioned the female as she stared at the ground below. The fact that they were just slowly walking was beginning to get to her- she wanted run and try to catch up to the men who were dragging her ally around, but it would be rude to leave without a reason. Anyways, she listened in to Minene's next sentences. "If you're wondering if my diary had to do with us figuring this out, I can fully admit that it didn't do anything. I have the Escape Diary- it helps me get out of predicaments that I may get myself into. While it's nice, the person who sent us here has a very powerful diary that even I don't understand why he has." Then, she turned her head and looked up at the lights that created a pattern on the ceiling. "The mayor of Sakurami. He knows exactly what's up."

The mayor of Sakurami City? While it was not very surprising to hear him get brought up, Yuno found herself being far more concerned about the diary that he had. Minene described it as powerful- but in what way? While she did want to question her further, there was next to no time to do so. Without responding to the purple-haired female's nice response, Yuno took her diary out and read over the screen. The fact that Yukiteru was most likely upstairs somewhere being dragged got to her- it did not settle and, due to it, she was not able to hold up the conversation any longer. Minene ended up noticing that something was off, and without questioning what her ability was, asked if anything was wrong. To that, Yuno told her the truth- exactly what was picking at her and why she was so upset. "I came here with someone, you know that it seems. He was taken away by Fourth, and I think that it had to do with revenge. He wants to get back at him for cutting into his face, but it's… They're making him suffer." Described Yuno, as she closed her diary and shuddered at the thought of being dragged around like a useless piece of meat like he was. Not surprised by that, Minene shrugged and simply came back with, "that's Fourth for you. He has a temper, he's unpleasant, he gets way too into his goals and even hurts others if they get in the way of it. He's pretty sinister, and that's exactly why we need to arrest him." While Yuno agreed and did want Keigo to get taken away right away- he really did deserve it for everything he did, Yuno could not believe that she thought that he may have been a nice guy at first- she could not help but allow her concern for Yukki shine over that. He threw himself into this situation for her, and he was someone who appeared to care about her more than anyone. Saving him was the least she could do, honestly.

They were around halfway through the hallway when their conversation reached this point, and Minene was now made aware of how much Yuno longed to intervene with Keigo's plans with Yukiteru. She knew that the rate at which they were walking was slow, but running was not something that she could do very much due to how many devices were strapped to her. Too much shaking would cause them to go all over the place and possibly drop- and having it hit the ground may make a bunch of explosions go off. All around, not a very good idea. So, Minene came up with another idea for Yuno- one that she could follow through with while being safe. Tapping on her good shoulder to get her attention, Minene took the gun that she had in hand and passed it off to the girl. "Look, I can tell that you want to save him. So, this is the least I can do. Run ahead and find my co-workers- their names are Orin and Taro. Tell them that I sent you, and they can accompany you to go find the boy that you're looking for." Yuno's eyes sparkled as she took the gun from the woman- it was very kindhearted for her to lend her it, though it must have been pretty unimportant since it was just one of many weapons that she had from the police station. "I've said this a lot, but thank you." hummed the female as she held the cold metal weapon in her hand- it was small and easy to use, full of bullets too. Minene reached down into a small bag that she also had tied to her waist and counted out four bullets, handing them off to the girl- it was just to be safe, in case many things went wrong during the trip upstairs. Accepting them, Yuno nodded and told her that she would definitely make it upstairs and meet with the two that she listed. Minene answered with something that was very blunt but also had a tone that showed that she cared. "Yeah, okay. Stay safe. Don't' die."

Once the last words were given out, Yuno took the gun and dashed ahead of Minene. To the left of her, there were more of Keigo's underlings who were still after her life. Quickly, Yuno turned her head and shouted at Ninth, telling her that there was danger up ahead and that they would most likely go after her. Taking the warning in mind, Minene grinned and waited for Yuno to run up the stairs. When they faced her at the end of the hall, the woman simply waved at them before blowing up the area in between them. There was now a hole in the middle, and she placed it in such a way that the shockwave would knock them all back. Smoke shrouded the area, making it impossible for them to shoot her. From there, Minene headed back to the end where she entered and hid behind the wall, setting off the bomb that was closest to the area behind them. If all went well, they were trapped between two massive holes and there was nothing they could do unless they could jump very far. That was exactly what the woman wanted- to distract them. No bombs, no grenades- just the usage of weak explosions that would not make the hospital topple over. Things were going well, and now it was up to Yuno to meet up with the other two to try to save Yukki from whatever was happening to him.

Two floors up- that is how much Yuno had to clear before she made it back in the office room that she dreaded in the past. Before, she wanted to get there very slowly, but now she was heading there as fast as her legs could take her. As she made her way to it, the trip there was surprisingly very quiet. There were no interruptions, no yelling and most importantly no blood spilled. But when she pivoted and turned the corner to the straight path that led to the room that she was looking to enter, she heard many grunts and growls coming from within it. There must have been some sort of fight going on in there, and Yuno slightly cringed at the idea that she may walk in on a bloodbath. Regardless, she finished her expedition to the area and then pushed the door open without thinking. It flew open, making the scene very visible to her. There was no red, and there was also no wounds. Nothing. It was filled with men and women of both sides, and it seemed as if Sakurami's side had prevailed over Keigo's. This was evident by the few people who were on their knees, handcuffed. A few more were still fighting back, trying to escape, but every time they did they were just brought back down by a police officer. Obviously, this was a safe room and entering it would not bring Yuno any harm. Then, she noticed two people who stood out from the others. Instead of wearing suits, they were dressed in white outfits, even coming complete with a puffy little hat. As adorable as the outfit looked, the blades that they held in their hands were not. They had long blades in their hands, and from what Yuno could make out, they were machetes. Thankfully, they were not used- but they certainly made them appear far more threatening than they actually were. Before they realized that Yuno entered, the two were discussing what to do with all of the people that they trapped in the room. The male seemed to be very serious about his job, while the girl was just trying to pick some fun at him. "Would you just take this seriously for once? You never do!" Shouted the annoyed boy as the female laughed her heart out at him. "Aha, you know that I'm completely aware of what's going on! But still, it's nice to have some fun with it- yeah?"

"Orin… We're right in the middle of a case- now isn't the time to be a clown!" The boy snarled, but he stopped what he was saying when something came up. The moment that they heard a noise from the entryway, everyone turned to look at the pink-haired girl. First, the short girl who was dressed in white- also bearing brown hair and brown eyes. Something about her expression almost made her look very tired- or even very sarcastic. This first judgment of her was accurate, Yuno was not glad that she went off of the white gown and little black shoes that made her seem like an energetic person. Removing her hat and passing it off to the boy beside her, the small girl asked Yuno a question right off the bat. "And you are?" At first, Yuno spaced out just a bit and then shook it off, quickly stating her name. "Gasai Yuno- Minene sent me," she put it as simply as she could so that they knew what she meant. Clearly, it worked because the two nodded their heads, almost in unison. It was like they were related, but a few key differences proved that they were not. "Neat name, suits you," the girl joked with a small smirk- somehow proud of the tiny joke that she cracked. Ha, she has not learned who Yuno was but assumed that her name fit her- very funny, haha… No, the male made it clear that it was not funny at all and nudged her on the side with his elbow angrily. The girl quietly snorted to herself as the male apologized for her behavior. "Trust me, this is normal. She's serious when she wants to be." While their attitudes would usually lighten up the mood- after all, they were practically the opposites of each other it seemed… Yuno still could not stop worrying about Yukki- the idea of him being dragged around still haunted her, she just could not fathom going through that. So, while she thought of how to bring that up, the two finally revealed their names. "Well, enough of that," began the short female, who crossed her arms after she was struck in the side like that. "I'm Miyashiro Orin- and this guy is Nanba Taro. Nice to meet ya." Wanting to be polite, Yuno nodded and returned her kind words- telling her that they both seemed like kind people. Orin, a girl who loved to be complimented, simply nodded and let out a "why thank you." Even when she was excited, it lacked visible representation. Her eyes were still half-closed and generally, it seemed like she was ready to take a nap. Hell, even her tone was so flat that it seemed like she was hyping everything up in an attempt to sound sarcastic.

Dropping her blade on the ground sloppily and sitting down on the desk that Keigo leaned over just a while back, Orin began to tell Yuno why they were here. "Well. I assume that Minene told you our job- but yeah, we're supposed to find Keigo and deal with the others. Which we did! But Keigo is a no-go, can't figure out where he ran off to." With that, the brown-haired female squinted her eyes and tossed in one last, "coward." Yuno would originally giggle at something like that and even agree with her words, but she was so distracted that it was hard to go along with it. Instead, Yuno chose to break the question that was on her mind more than anything. It has been since she left her ally's side, and it carried on through her and Minene's meeting and into now. Without an ounce of hesitation, Yuno asked Orin and Taro the following question: "Have you two seen Yukki? He's a boy with black hair and blue eyes- and I think that Keigo is taking him with him somewhere to kill him. There are only six m-minutes until he allegedly dies and I don't know what to do." As sudden as she was with her statement, even revealing that she could tell the future in the process, Orin took it surprisingly well. After all, she seemed to know the entire future thing already since she worked under someone who used it all the time- he must have gone on about it a lot. Not getting shocked at all, the sarcastic sound that she had vanished and she was perfectly honest with Yuno. "Nah, we haven't seen him around. Very sorry about that." Looking towards Taro also showed that he felt a bit bad too- he did not have a clue where he may have went, and hated not knowing where the criminal ran off to. "That Kurusu guy is such a wimp, he can't even face us and take the consequences that he racked up," Taro spoke, his voice filled with plenty of rage which Yuno picked up without much effort.

They were both passionate in their own respective ways, that is for sure. But the moment that Yuno noticed that they had no clue where Yukki was taken, Yuno's heart dropped. Her diary only limitedly described it- saying what was happening to him but not exactly where he was going. Well, it did say that he was in the hospital but did not specify exactly where on the floor he was. Was this truly a lost cause? Yuno did not want to consider it that- because if she kept trying, there was still a very good chance that she could help Yukki escape the predicament that he was in. "You didn't see him at all? Not even once?" questioned the girl, who was just trying to pry any bit of good news that she could out of them, but it would not succeed. Orin shook her head again, lowering her shoulders and responding with an honest, "no to that, too. Sorry, but we haven't seen Keigo OR that weird guy who follows him around. They've both been very good at playing hide and seek with us." This time, her words were void of a snarky comment at the end of it- as if she really did feel bad for not doing her job properly. There was no way that they could- the man escaped the scene and they could not find him. Yuno could not tell if Taro and Orin had given up already, but she was not going to allow herself to give in and join them in the sad corner. No, instead of responding with a simple "oh," the female pushed on and tried to make a deal with them. "I know that things seem pretty low right now, but if we go together, we may be able to locate them before it's too late." The positivity that she tried to emit caught the attention of both of them, and though it did not get to Orin very much, it hit Taro very hard since he would do anything to get this mission done right. He nodded, saying "yeah, you're right. Sitting here and waiting for more people to show up will get nothing done." At least he seemed to agree- because Orin did not chip in at all.

It was going to be a blind last ditch effort, but really, was there anything to lose? The answer is no- at this point, they might as well try because they already won the battle with his underlings. Growing eager to try to locate the boy before the four minutes were up, Yuno went out of the room and stood outside of the room. "Come on, we have no time- we need to go!" Taro, who was on the same page as Yuno, exited the area with her and waited for Orin. The girl was a bit slow since she was not experiencing the same mindset that the other two had- especially since she just met Yuno, it was hard to understand her logic… But her stance did not last very long, because Taro stormed into the room and grabbed her by the sleeve, taking her with him- not before she grabbed her blade once again to be safe. "A-Ack, watch the others, will you?" Orin directed the other policemen as she was forced to leave. Out they went, heading down the stairs- trying to descend as quickly as they could to see if there would be a future change. As they dashed, Yuno had her diary out in front of her- looking for any future changes. God, please, just let something change- anything. The minutes ticked down quickly, and they were only on the third floor when there were less than two minutes left. Elevators were a no go- it would just be too risky if there were any of his underlings left over. The second floor came around, and all three of them could not stop themselves from panting. There was so much movement involved- it was hard for their lungs to keep up with the intake of air that they required. But they pushed on, and in the middle of rushing to the first floor, the future finally changed. It was a risky and grueling process, but they managed to get some sort of update. When Yuno looked down at it, she gasped. Things really did change- the new future that Yukki was given altered everything that she had in mind.

It was a future change that was not caused by her, but Yukki. The actions that they took were not exactly necessary to cause the shift, but it was still good because they were able to get closer to what was about to go down. According to Yuno's diary, Yukki spent a lot of his time sulking around and letting the others take him wherever they pleased- that was something that broke Yuno's heart, really. He must have been in so much pain that he did not try to fight back anymore. But, then something happened- it was what caused this to play out this way. Someone came for Yukiteru- and when his eyes met the man who stood before him, he began to fight back and struggle once more, trying to get them to let go so he could get away. That meant that right now, as the trio ran, Yukki was still trying to avoid whatever future he was just given. The death sentence that was placed for him was moved back- no, it was actually nullified. Although it was gone, it could reappear at any given moment so Yuno did not want to take any chances. The future changed wildly as they ran, and finally, Yuno was provided with one answer that she was waiting for. It was what they needed- an entry that described an area that was not within the hospital. This way, she could pick out where they needed to go in order to see what was going on. Their goal was to catch Keigo, and Yuno's was to make sure that her ally was alive and kicking. This entry was what Yuno would use to her advantage to put an end to this strife- or at least, that is what she hoped.

* * *

_5/3, 19:02 [West Sakurami Hospital]_

_Yukki started to fight back against someone that he was passed off to. He is very hurt, and the fact that he is being dragged out into the rain makes matters worse. We need to save him._

* * *

This was it. First, she had to convey this info to the other two. Opening her mouth, Yuno started to speak, exhaustion was evident in her voice. "Good news, I may know where Keigo is now." As a result of hearing this, both Orin and Taro's eyes widened and they leaned forward, trying to get an earful of the info that she just read up on. "Well? Where is he?" Taro challenged, adjusting his hat as they all slowed to a stop. They were at the stairs that led to the ground floor of the hospital- finally. They were in such a good place, trying to get to the outside would be made easy now. "They're heading out, I can only assume that they're trying to make their escape from behind the hospital." Yuno explained, already putting her first foot on the stairs below. There was no time to waste, they had to keep moving or they would surely lose their chance. It took no convincing, the two who seemed to be like siblings took in what she said and knew exactly what to do- the closer they got, and the more actions that Yukki made, the more accurate the predictions would be. Soon, they would come face to face with the criminal that all three of them despised- now was the time to settle this. Yuno was unsure whether they would have weapons on their side or not- but she knew that they had two machetes and a handgun on her side. Speaking of that, as they headed down the stairs, Yuno used her free hand to equip the gun- having it ready would be crucial to their facedown, correct? Yes, and at last they made it to the first floor of the hospital- they were all so tired but adrenaline was pulling on their strings more than ever and for good reason. There were many doors leading to the outside world- all that they had to do was find one and pop out soon enough to catch the attention of the criminals that they were looking for.

When they finally arrived at a glass door, Yuno took note of what the weather was like. Pouring rain, and it was night so it would be very hard to see. There were a few street lights here and there to light up the dark unused parking lot, but other than that they would have to rely on their senses. Taking one last look at her diary, Yuno concluded that this was it. "It's time, let's head out," she told the two, who nodded their heads to show that they understood the magnitude of the situation. She took one last look at her diary, and it illustrated a scene where Yukki was trying to escape both of the users- they were holding him by his arms and dragging him off to some place where they could ride off with him against his will. Keeping her cheap flip phone out in the rain would be very stupid, so once she took his in, Yuno put it into her pocket so it would not get wet. Assuming how the Fourth and Twelfth were trying to get away from the hospital, the showdown could either be very short and prompt or it could drag on- it all depended on how they took the situation. So, keeping this in mind, Yuno cracked the door open just a bit and was greeted with the icky feeling of the high humidity. It was very hot, and it was also showering so it generally seemed very unpleasant. Either way, Yuno was not planning to allow such a simple thing to stand in her way. Taro practically pushed her out of the door and Orin followed, and all three of them took the rain as they looked around for any visible signs of movement. It was so hard to see, and the crash of the rain against the ground doubled with the roar of the wind and occasional claps of thunder did not help them scout out the scene. It was so difficult to get around, rain was even beginning to puddle beneath their feet. Since this parking lot was unfinished, it lacked a drainage area, making it hard for it to combat the flooding that was beginning to start up.

Regardless, Yuno dragged her feet and did not care about getting soaked- all that she wanted to do was find her ally and make sure that he gets away. Out of the heat of the moment, the girl opened her eyes and lifted her head, looking up at the cloudy sky that hid the moon. "Yukki!" she called out, hoping to god that he could hear what she was saying. Of course, there was no response from within the shroud of rain. It was far too powerful, and Yuno began to dread that they would not be able to find him in time. At this rate, Fourth and Twelfth would end up making their cowardly escape with Yukki in hand. When things seemed to be getting more and more poor, Orin and Taro joined the hunt- trying to call out to see if they could get any type of response. This went on for a few minutes, and it surely dragged on due to how obnoxious the weather was. At this rate, Yuno's diary was going to end up getting wet regardless of what she did to protect it. Their time was limited- her pocket could not shield it forever, and she did not want to find out what would happen if it broke in that way. Things went on like this for a few minutes longer, and at last, one of the three heard something that the other two did not. Taro was the one to hear it and look in the direction first- putting out his arm for the other two to stop walking for just a moment. There was a thud against the ground, and following it was the sound of something being slid across the street, presumably the bottom of someone's shoe. Then, it began to get pieced together slowly. Not only was that present, but there were also footsteps, and when listening closer, a disgruntled voice could be heard. It kept yelling intelligible words, most of which were not very nice at all- and a few curse words even slipped past the lips of whoever it was. They sounded exhausted and even let out sounds of pain as the sliding continued- there was even a blunt sound of something striking someone's skin. Each person heard it one by one and turned towards the source of the noise, which was by two street lights- in the very corner of the parking lot, near the entrance to the garage.

Indeed, there was a car parked at the very edge of the lot, and it was parked in such a strange place since the concrete below never got painted- that is how early the outside of the hospital was into development. The vehicle was dark blue, and it seemed like a car that someone who supported the police force would use which, figures, because Keigo was once one of them. Taro found himself lunging towards the area, but Orin held him back- cutting into the criminals with a machete to make them stop was not the answer, and plus… They could accidentally harm Yukki since it was so difficult to see. As they trudged closer to the scene, three other figures finally began to come into play. It was a struggle to make them out at first, but the slight light emitted from the street lights helped a lot in aiding them. The orange glow grew more powerful as they inched towards it and, at last, they were able to detect the others. There were two tall men who were holding a third shorter boy by the arms, and Yuno knew exactly who it was the moment that she saw it. Just like her diary said- they were taking Yukki to who knows where against his will- and his position displayed that. He was beaten up- complete with blood and bruises spread across his body. The body of the male shook as he shouted to the people who were taking him with them, and finally, Yuno was able to figure out what he was saying. "GET OFF OF ME! I TOLD YOU, I'M NOT JOINING YOU! IF YOU THINK THAT I'LL EVER BEHAVE, THEN YOU'RE VERY WRONG. I HATE BOTH OF YOU, I'D NEVER LISTEN TO ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY!" howled Yukiteru, as he basically tossed his entire self forwards, trying to get them to let go. This time, the two nearly lost their footing and fell over with him- but once that happened, Keigo pulled him back with all of his might, causing a slight crack to come from the poor boy's arm.

"Listen here you little piece of shit, I'm not going to put up with you any longer. If you don't listen to us, then I'll shoot you. It's as simple as that- make your choice." There was a clear tone of frustration in his voice- he was still on his last nerve. No, he lost that long ago, Keigo had practically lost his humanity due to the sheer amount of anger that he felt towards the boy that they were taking with them. No matter what they did and no matter what they said, nothing would phase him. He was so opposed to them that he would not stop, even if it led to his death. "Do you think that something like that scares me?" Yukki challenged him, stopping his movements once they ceased theirs. "I'd DIE before I had to be taken somewhere with you two." There was nothing but honesty in his tone, which only tested Keigo far more than it would have if it were any other. Out of rage, the man tugged on his arm at full force and directed Twelfth to do the same- causing Yukki to let out more cries of pain. His attempts to get away did not stop, but he was losing the battle. It would only go downhill from here, or so he thought. The three did not know that they were being watched from afar- there was a group of people who planned to stop the duo who were hauling Yukiteru around as if he were some sort of toy. It all began with Yuno stepping forward before Orin and Taro- trying to get a clear look at her poor ally's face. It was swollen- and it truly hurt just to look at it. Then, she let her voice slip past her lips so that the male knew that she was here to help him. "Yukki…!"

Instantaneously, his eyes darted upwards and Yuno was able to see his frozen pupils. Every bit of sanity left his body- at this point, he was completely insane and nothing was going to stop him from lashing out at the other two as much as he could. The way that he was bending his body was unnatural and weird, and his arms even twitched erratically during all of this. They drove him to the edge and pushed him off- how cruel. It was so bad that he did not pick up Yuno's voice- it did not soothe him nor did it make his movements cease. Taro and Orin caught a glimpse of Yukiteru and felt the creepy vibes that emitted from him, but were far more focused on Keigo and Twelfth to bother paying attention fully. Without any hesitation, Taro spoke up and allowed his words to boom over the sound of the rain. "Kurusu, Hirasaka… You're both under arrest!" With that, the two turned in his direction, wondering who spoke such words- but when they saw who stood before them they knew that it was nothing but trouble. Was it really worth it to take a boy who insisted on misbehaving so badly? No, being caught by the police and having their diaries taken away, and maybe even their lives- if the mayor decided to have it done, was not worth it. Keigo knew this right away, he was not dumb- their plan failed, and so did their major hospital one. Rather than picking up the pace and trying to make it away with Yukki, the man told his follower to let go of the boy and follow him to the car. His intentions were obvious- he was going to try to escape rather than force Yukiteru to come with him. When they turned him loose, Yukki stumbled to the ground and landed on the flooded ground while Keigo and Twelfth made their break away. Before turning her attention to her fallen teammate, Yuno extended her arms and prepared to try to shoot the man- but which one?

That is when she had to make a quick decision- Yuno despised both of them for different reasons- Keigo was the one behind everything that happened tonight, but Twelfth must have been the one who tormented her mother earlier. Both of them deserve to burn in hell in her eyes, and in the heat of the moment- Yuno shot off not just one bullet but two- trying to hit them in the legs to make them fall over. Both of them missed, and then the sound of a car door opening could be heard. "Try to stop him, he's getting away!" Taro directed as he darted towards the car- Orin followed, letting out a small "oh boy, this is a mess…" Yuno listened, trying to get closer so that she could shoot at them. The plan that they had, though it was sloppy, was to try to cut out the tires of the car to prevent them from escaping. When the car was in sight, they singled in on it and tried to stop it, but unfortunately, the car started up very quickly and on came the lights. Taro snarled when he noticed that they were starting to drive away, and in result, he snatched Orin's machete and took both of them in his hands. Then came the strange move- as the car began to pull out at a very fast speed, the boy chucked both of the blades at the car- one of which ended up shattering a window. A last-ditch effort indeed, but it did end up causing Keigo to hesitate for just a moment. In that small minute of reluctance, Keigo whipped out his own gun- trying to shoot at one of them and also missing. It was a useless battle- the rain was far too much for them to have a shooting war like this. So, Fourth put his car into drive and tried to get away as Yuno used up the rest of her bullets- missing each one. He sped out of the parking space he was in, going into the grass and then turning around completely.

The lights were now facing the kids head-on, and with that, Keigo put the pedal to the metal and drove towards them as fast as he could. He intended on trying to run them over before he made his escape, but Taro and Orin got out before that came close to happen. The idea was very messed up for sure, but it was his method of getting rid of those who went against him. As for Yukki, he was in the way and could not stand up due to the sheer amount of pain that he felt throughout his body. It was almost as if Keigo was targeting him because the vehicle was turned directly where he laid on the ground. Yuno, who noticed that he was about to get ran over by the car, dashed towards him and picked him up by the arms- pulling on him almost as hard as the others did. He went limp as this happened, and when Yuno noticed that she could not take him away in time, she tackled him forward and they both fell to the ground with a splash as the car roared past them. From there, it did not stop in its tracks. It simply kept driving, going out of view within a few seconds. None of them could tell where he was going to go, the pouring rain was far too much to even try to see what direction he went. The two police force members stared out into the distance as Yuno got up from the street as quickly as she could. Yukki was still down, but she lacked the strength to help him up, all that she could offer him was vocal support to urge him to stand up, perhaps. He was far too lost mentally for anything like that to strike him, though. Everyone was so exhausted- they just wanted to get out of this rain and get home. So, Orin put her hand on the female's shoulder to get her attention and began to speak.

"Alright look, we may have failed miserably…" started the female as she also put her hand on Taro's shoulder- as if she was connecting the three as some sort of cool police trio. "But at least we tried, that's what counts." Sure, it was very positive, but Taro did not buy it at all. Instead, he took her hand off of him and simply mumbled, "no, that doesn't count. We messed up, and that means that we're going to have to face the consequences back at home." In response, Orin sighed and smacked him on the back. "Oh shut up, you. You don't speak like that when everyone is depressed." At least she was doing her best to lighten up the mood- it was something that they needed. Another good thing was that they managed to take Yukki away from the two who planned to take him hostage, or do whatever they were going to do with him… Disaster avoided, but now they had to get inside to get out of the damn rain. They were beyond soaked- it would take more than a hair dryer to even begin to dry off their clothes. Regardless, they stood outside for just a minute longer before Orin suggested that they head inside. The three agreed, and with that, the two began to walk off with Yuno- but then she stopped. "W-Wait, what about Yukki?" Yuno asked, turning her body completely to see if he was still where he was laying. Mysteriously, when she looked back at the dimly lit area, there was no sign of a figure. Yes, Yukiteru left the area and there was not a single trace of him- but where did he go in such a short amount of time? Yuno would have loved to try to find him again, but the rain was simply too much. Heading inside was the only thing that was on her mind- her body ached and all that she wanted to do was get home to shower and make sure that her phone is okay- then she would check in with him. So, due to that thought process, she joined the other two who were trudging their way through the water-riddled street, back inside where they would surely be chilled by the air conditioning. Hopefully, it would be enough to get her mind off of Yukki- because even if it did not seem like it, she was extremely concerned for him.

Into the hospital they went, and at once, the three of them hated the invention of air conditioning. It was so cold- the fact that they were dripping wet from the rain did not help at all. The good thing that came out of all of this was evident very quickly though- the case was put on hold, and the mission that the police force was given was concluded. Yuno, though she was not a part of it, felt the relaxation that Taro and Orin felt when they ran into Minene and approached her. They were all so glad that it was over and done with for today- if it went on for any longer, they surely would have complained about it. The three appeared to be good friends, as soon as they met up, they began to speak as if they knew exactly what the topic was and how much they were going to talk about the topic. Laughs were exchanged, shoulder pats, all of that- things that a closely-knit trio would do. Yuno could not help but smile, but there were two major things that held her back from showing a grin. For one, she felt that she did not fit in at all. After all, she met these people today- so seeing them hit it off was something that Yuno could not get in on. Ironic, because she was Sakurami Middle School's idol- if she wanted to, she could befriend anyone that she wanted there. Unfortunately, it was closed and she knew exactly why. Right, Twelfth attacked it a while ago, which ended up in their little break being prolonged- they needed to make sure that the premises was safe enough to re-enter. The other thing that bogged down her mind was simple- Yukki. As much as it seemed like she did not care about where he went since she was so out of it, Yuno was worried about him. This concern was brought up for a few reasons- for one, a lot of wounds and bruises were spread across his body, and it even seemed like he could not walk properly. When he tried to move, it only resulted in a pathetic limp. Two, his insanity left the building completely and seeing him like that struck fear into the heart of Yuno. There was no telling where he went, and knowing that he was not in his right mind made matters worse. It was pouring out, thunder was in the equation, and his home was far away from this area. Unless he packed spare yen so that he could catch a bus, heading back would be horrible.

At last, Yuno's attention was brought back to the conversation that was going down in front of her. It consisted of a lot of small talk, honestly, and that is why she managed to go off and think about what was bothering with such ease. When she heard what was being discussed, it became very evident that this group that stood before her was a very light-hearted one, so much so that their conversation topics could deviate to jokes. The fact that they could do this so easily did not surprise her though- Minene, the way that she introduced herself, appeared to be quite the jokester, and Taro literally referred to Orin as a clown so that case was settled. "Man, I wish that I could've used a few more bombs- messed up a few more things, y'know?" Minene began, seeming to daydream about her past, almost. Taro did not find this funny in the slightest, and that was conveyed by a frown- but Orin got a kick out of it, responding to her while laughing in between her words. "Ha, well your job was to be a distraction and save the two, not to blow up the entire building. I'm sure that you could have managed, though." That was followed by an even louder laugh, which happened to be Minene's. Their laughter was so contagious that it spread to Taro- he had the goofiest grin on his face that he covered with his hand to make sure that the others did not see- but Yuno caught onto it. Saying something would be rude, so the female continued to stay where she was, awkwardly waiting for directions as to what to do now. After all, walking away from the police after such a big thing occurred seemed a bit… Wrong. There had to be something that she had to do for them as a follow up.

When the female began to tap her foot against the tile floor below, that is when the trio finally took note of her. It started with Taro, who looked away from them only to see her standing there. When Minene noticed that his head turned, she instinctively looked up and saw her standing there patiently. What got to the woman was not that she was still waiting for them and even tapping her foot to get their attention- what she picked out right away was that Yukiteru was not with her. Out of complete instinct, Minene asked a sudden question that popped up and was on the top of her mind. "Uh… Where is the other kid, anyways?" When Yuno realized that she was now being talked to, she snapped out of her daze and tried to pick out what was just asked so that she did not need to ask Minene to repeat it. The good thing is that she remembered, and when she did- all that was given to answer it was a shrug. Giving some type of response to it would not work, and the reason why was clear. Not even Yuno knew where her ally went, exactly. Her diary was still drying off and she did not want to risk taking it out, but when she did to try to formulate an answer, it did not help her out very much. Instead of telling her where the boy that she was looking for was, she was greeted to a collection of entries explaining how Yukki was walking. But where was he going? There was no context to it, and she did not understand why. That was just another part of the puzzle that she would have to put together sometime, but as of right now there was nothing she could do and her diary was rendered useless. Minene was not dense, so she could pick up the hints enough to know that the answer could not be given. Leaving it at that would make things a bit tense, so Minene nodded and let out a, "at least we can tell that he made it out alive. That's all that matters." Yes, that was something that Yuno could get behind- as long as Yukiteru was still breathing, then that part of the "mission" could be marked as successful.

Since the conversation was turned towards the serious side, Minene decided to bring up something else that was bothering her- something that she noticed as she was doing her job. Even though it contained something that was so sinister and destructive- the woman was still able to take a look at the men and women that they apprehended and took away from the scene- and when she did, a single observation was made. "Well, look. I feel like I should mention this. While I was talking to Masumi earlier, he pointed out the strange name tags that the underlings used to use a fake identity. They stole the nametags from existing officers- it was an old version that was trashed, which seems to be a trend with them." Explained Minene as she crossed her arms, looking up at the lights above her just to be lulled by them a bit. "That's not all, of course. When he was doing his side of the job, him and the others broke into a few hospital rooms here and there only to find something horrific. Some of the officers who took off for work- whether it be for vacation, disease, family matters… They were found in the rooms, locked up, gagged and blindfolded. Injuries could be found on their bodies, but they were not close to death. Strange, to say the least." And that it was- for some reason, Keigo and his men began to kidnap some of the officers who left their job temporarily for other things- no matter what it was, they would scout them out and take them in. Not only was the hospital their base of operations, but it was also their prison for any unfortunate souls who crossed them. Perhaps this was what they were planning to do with Yuno and Yukki before Keigo lost track of his temper and snapped on them completely. The thought made Yuno shiver.

That was not the end of her story, but Orin broke in- asking a very vital question. "But why did he do it? Seems weird to take them in just to strap them up. Either way, it's dis-cust-ting." At the end of her input, the female was sure to put emphasis on the last word just to show how she felt. Surprisingly, Taro agreed with her for the first time- at least for the first time that Yuno has even seen. Of course, she also agreed with what was said and was sure that anyone who was sane would, too. Minene, just like everyone else would, nodded in response to what she came back with. "It is- and as far as we can tell, they did it to try to force information out of them. May have been an attempt to force them to join them, too." This also cleared up another part of what happened before- Yukki was ranting and raving about how he would never join them no matter what happened, so it is possible that they planned to bring the fate that they had planned for the hostages down onto Yukiteru, too. Once again, it was enough to make Yuno feel incredibly uncomfortable- how sick can an organization get? That thought was about to get furthered by the last of Minene's explanation- and this part was just as surprising as the last, even if it was not nearly as dark. It was more about the mentality that backed up what they did- the morals that they may have had. It was all so screwed up… "You see, from what I heard, everyone who had their old name tag snatched from under their noses were basically a part of their little 'hit list.' The plan was to use the names and track them down- and guess who was a part of that?" And then, out of seemingly nowhere, Minene's gaze shot down from the ceiling to the group, and her eyes were far more serious than before- the side of her that loved to poke fun at people was hidden away from this part, showing how much this got to her. "Masumi's name tag was one of the many that were stolen."

The three who were listening gasped a bit- so few of the officers were taken in, but the list that they had was huge. Their goals were beyond anyone- and usually that would be a good trait, but in this case it was very bad. Taro huffed, stomping his foot on the ground and lowering his eyebrows. "What a sick group they are," he started as he kicked the air, trying to take out the mix of disgust and anger that he felt somehow, without damaging anything. "I say that we focus on them and try to take them down- they're nothing but a nuisance to us and Sakurami City in general." Orin nodded, and but Minene did not. It was not because she did not think the same thing- it was because she was too taken aback by the news that she was not focused on the conversation at hand. While she thought about it, the lighthearted side that she often exerted began to vanish more and more until she finally gave in to the feeling, opening her mouth and uttering a chilling sentence. "If my family ever got involved, I would have brought this building to the ground." It killed what was left of the comedic atmosphere- not that it was there, but Orin often tried her best to push it. Thankfully, she did what she did best at a great time- trying to lighten up the dark mood that was established by the strange news. "Ah, I mean I understand but… Hey, lighten up- MInene. We just finished a mission- it's time for all of us to head home and have a nice, long sleep." That sounded good- a comfy rest after everything that went down today. A warm shower, dress in a nice warm set of pajamas, lay down and drift off to sleep… Man, how Yuno wished that she could do that right now- and when she noticed the shift in Minene's expression, it became obvious that she also longed to get home and fall asleep. All in a day's work- it was time for them to head home. Just to support the thought, Taro decided to join in and help cheer up his friend. "Yeah, it's best not to get involved like that anyways. We'll get revenge on the guy pretty soon, alright?" To that, Orin and Minene hummed a tiny "mmhm."

Since the conversation was at its end, Yuno decided to chip in and acknowledge the elephant in the room. "Erm, guys…?" Started the girl as she walked towards them- just so they would not have any trouble hearing her. Before she could even begin, Taro noticed the wound on her arm and pointed it out to Orin- which caused her to lose her train of thought for just a moment. Just a moment later, he realized that he cut her off and apologized. "I was just asking if she could make sure that she grabs you a bandage for that cut on your shoulder before we leave. Looks painful." That it was, and since Yuno was reminded of it she began to feel the dull pain once more- getting her skin caught on that glass was extremely unpleasant to say the least. Once all was said and done, she finally proceeded. "Well, I know that you all are a part of the police and… I was involved in this, which was a case. When do I have to go in to talk to you guys? I'm sure that there will have to be something." That was common sense- when there was a witness to a crime who could describe what happened and what was said, they would be called in to confess and go into detail about what they saw. Orin acknowledged this with a shrug, saying "all that we know is that it won't happen tonight. We'll call you when we need you, that's all that I can really say about that right now. Yeah?" Once she called for the other two for confirmation, they did just that- nodding. It was such a blunt answer, but Yuno had no desire to question why they could not tell her more. There was no reason to cause any more trouble- if they are to call her in, they will give her all of the details that she needs when she is there. No need to be hasty

"Honestly, I'm happy that it's not tonight. I just want to go home and sleep…" Admitted Yuno, as she fluttered her eyes slowly to prove that she was ready to fall over and give in to sleep right then and there. Orin chuckled, enjoying her sense of humor quite a bit- enough to pull a comedic reply out of her. "I totally get that, really. I'm ready to get back to the apartment and fall onto the couch. Screw trying to catch up on my favorite shows." That was followed by a giggle from everyone in the group- they seemed to be quite comfortable where they were relationship-wise, but they were all prepared to head off to their respective homes. Though, Orin was not all set yet- and this was going to be proven in just a moment- she needed Yuno's attention first, so she tapped on her uninjured shoulder- always worked, because her gaze was shifted to the short girl instantly. "Say, before we go home and do whatever, what do you guys say to y'know… Grabbing a bite to eat? I'm pretty hungry, I don't know about you guys." Due to all of the adrenaline that Yuno has been feeling up until now, it was extremely hard to detect just how hungry she was. But just like her wound- when it was pointed out to her, her mind would not stop thinking about it. This made the feeling of hunger worse- all that she had today was a donut and half of a second one. This made her answer quite obvious- of course, she would not mind having something like that before she got home. She was not sure how she would get there at first- she planned to use a bus, but now it was clear that they planned to drive her back, which was very kind of them.

"Well, if you guys really want to eat, we'll stop somewhere and grab something. I'm not going to sit down and eat- I want to go home." Minene confessed as she reached up for her hair- trying to untie what kept her twin tails up. They fell to her back when they were released, making her hair into a mess of long dark purple hair. Yuno watched the change in hairstyle, even to the point where she saw it cascade her back- it looked very curly and unnatural in some parts- seems like it just needs time to return to its original state. Taro seconded Minene on this, and then Orin also chose to agree since the popular vote seemed to favor it. Yuno was very glad that they were willing to do this much for them, but she was sure to admit that she only had enough money to catch a bus, so paying for her meal would not work out very well. Minene chuckled, letting her know her plan for the snack. "Don't worry, everyone's meal will be on me. I don't mind paying for you all- you did so much today that I owe it to ya." The fact that this also applied to Yuno made her eyes practically glimmer- she did not even do that much, and yet she was receiving such a gift. Once she was done settling the payment deal, Minene went through with the rest of her plan for tonight. "We'll stop somewhere, get food, and then I'll drop you all off- starting with Yuno here. You'll have to tell me how to get to your house though, sound good?" Of course, there was no reluctance or denial from Yuno she would try to be as clear and concise as she could be with the directions- it was a pain to get to her home since it was in the outskirts of Sakurami, though. Hopefully, that would be okay.

Thus, the case was concluded- people began to flow out of the unfinished hospital, and those who were tasked with making sure that it was clearly marked as off-limits remained in the area to do their job. Minene hopped into her car with Masumi- and really, they seemed like a pretty happy couple from what Yuno could tell. Outside of the entire police force ordeal, they talked and poked at each other for fun just like your everyday married couple would. Strange to think that someone who was so willing to blow things up had such a normal relationship- at least she thought so. Taro and Orin were seated next to her, which meant that Yuno was given a window seat. She, and the other two, were directed to buckle up as if they were kids- and while Taro did not like to be treated like that since he was older, he still gave in, doing as he was told. Orin just did not care enough and told them that she did it even though she did not. They were so different, and it was extremely entertaining to Yuno, as it would be with anyone. In all, the people that she met today- though it was such a short amount of time, could be deemed as very pleasant people. Heck, Orin grabbed a bandage for Yuno before they left the premises, and once the car was put in drive- she began to tightly wrap the fabric around Yuno's arm- even suggesting that she tries her best to disinfect it when she arrived at home. The fact that they were concerned about her made her feel safe and happy, but the dark thought in the back of her head kept ruining it for her. Right, Yukiteru was still out there- and as she started out at the rain that was still coming down very hard, Yuno flipped her diary open. None of the entries were specific enough- all that she could tell was that he was still walking. How though? Really, it was impossible for Yuno to tell.

So the car ride continued, and as mentioned before, they ended up stopping at a place to eat, It was not much- not dinner, but something to keep their stomachs over until they got home to make a proper meal. Yuno requested a small box of chicken nuggets- nothing much. The selection was not very fancy due to it being a fast food place, but as said, it was only meant to keep everyone from starving before they arrived back at their abodes. From there, they pulled out of the drive-through with the food, and it was distributed by Masumi. Orin asked for a bit much- even asking for a drink on top of what she already got, but it seemed like Minene was used to it. Yuno munched on the nuggets that she got as she looked out the window- and as more time passed, the surroundings grew more and more familiar. At last, they reached the part of the city that they all knew very well. Taro and Orin were so relieved to see it- so much so that they shared an entire conversation going on about how much they loved the lights- even while it was raining. That was a talk that Yuno did not chip into- she was far too busy thinking about other things to the point where she did not pick up that Minene was trying to talk to her for a moment or so. When she noticed that her name was being called, Yuno quickly apologized and asked what she needed. "Uh, well I think that it's obvious." Minene joked, finding enjoyment in picking on Yuno. "I don't want to drive in circles- tell me where your house is or we'll be in the heart of Sakurami for a while." To that, everyone in the vehicle chortled and Yuno began to play the role that she was asked to- giving her directions to her home that was towards the quiet part of their city.

As they drove to her house, Orin commented on how far it was- saying that she must live in a very strange structure since it's so far. Of course, not everyone in Sakurami lived in a traditional home. Some were modern, some were built for the city… Yuno personally loved the look that hers had- it was always so pretty to her, even if it had so many bad memories that took place within it. Even if it was cursed, she would still find herself adoring its design. Unfortunately, as Minene pulled up to her house, it did not receive the amount of love that Yuno had towards it. In fact, Orin was the first to admit that it gave her the creeps- there were no lights outside and it generally looked like a dead house. The female shook her head, trying to justify what the building was to the group. "It's a very traditional-based house, and I know that some people really don't like the idea of it… The garden is nice, the location is quiet and far away from the clamor of the city- and generally, I just love it here. I hope that that makes sense." It was such a bland reasoning behind why she enjoyed staying there, but the group took it in anyways and approved it. Finally, their short time together was gone and now it was time to kick one person out of the car- into the light rain from the outside world. As Yuno opened the door of the car, Minene quickly stopped her. There was something that she wanted- it was important, or at least it seemed to be. "Cough up your phone number- we need it." Demanded the girl- and as funny as she tried to be with it, Yuno could not understand why they would need it- especially if they knew where she lived now. Even so, the girl reached for her cheap flip phone and recited her number- and not only did Minene write it down, but Orin did too. From there, she thanked her and said that she could leave now. It was as simple as that- they dropped her off and now she had to step into her house out of the rain. Hurrying out of the car and up the stairs to her door, Yuno began to rummage for her house key- but before she could do so, she heard a beep from the car behind her. They were trying to say goodbye- so Yuno waved to them as they drove away. With that, the lights of the vehicle vanished into the night. Once that happened, the female once again looked for the key and succeeded in finding it a minute later. Unlocking the door, Yuno was greeted with her old dusty home- the lights were off and everything. Entering the home made her recall what happened this morning with her mother- right, family issues were a factor in her life. Sighing, Yuno leaned against the door and closed it completely- making sure that it caught and all. Then, she locked it to make sure that she would be secure for tonight. With how cruel some of the people participating in the survival game could be, skipping out on locking the door was something that Yuno felt like she would regret.

First things first, she had to turn the lights on and freshen up. When the rooms were lit up by a single light switch, Yuno could not help but feel quite lonely. Her father was most likely still working hard at the bank and her mother was in the hospital dealing with who knows what. It was depressing, really… Yuno wished for her family to mend itself and now it seemed like it was beginning to fall apart- and that was especially proven by how Saika acted this morning. It was most likely due to the game- Twelfth, as Yuno remembered, may have been the one who was tormenting her mother like that. Feeling angry over the thought, the female decided to wash the negative emotions away with a nice warm shower. So, she headed into the washroom and removed her wet clothes and hair accessories, putting them aside. Following that, she hopped into the shower and took care of everything that had to do with that- and of course, thoughts still taunted her even while she was washing up. There was no escape, really, but at least it was a way for her to pass them off… She then dried up once she stepped out of the dripping shower, wrapped a towel around herself, picked up her damp clothes and accessories and walked towards her room. First, she put the hair stuff on the desk to dry- then, she hung up her clothes so that they could air dry as the night progressed. Once that was taken care of, Yuno dried off more so she could put on her pink laced pajamas. They always made her feel comfortable, but that went for any night outfit, really. After that, her hair was brushed in front of the mirror, but nothing was put into it since she knew very well that she was going to be going to sleep in just a few minutes. To finish it up, she cleaned up her cuts from earlier and put a new clean bandage onto it to keep it healthy. At last, when she finished refreshing herself, Yuno walked over to her bedroom door and closed it, being sure to lock it too just to be safe. Heading over to her light, Yuno flipped it off so that it was nice and dark in her room- sleeping with light sometimes made it hard for her to drift off, so it was necessary.

Tossing herself into her bed, Yuno reached for her phone to plug it into the charger. It was lazily set aside on her nightstand- at this point, the female did not care about making it look neat. Food was out of the question- today caused her to lose her appetite for the most part, and the motivation to do anything had left her a long time ago. In the dark, Yuno felt around for something that she kept on her bed when she slept- it was quite childish, but she loved to have it with her. It was a small plush that resembled her favorite pink rabbit costume- her father had it custom made for her when she was younger and she still had yet to let it go. Snuggling with it and keeping it close to her made her feel safe, somehow- so that is exactly what she did. Time slipped by- around an hour- and Yuno still had not fallen asleep due to her racing thoughts and the anxiety that she felt while she was in the dark. Even though she had something that was supposed to make her feel secure in her hands- actually having it happen was hard nowadays. The female was scared- very scared of what could happen when she dozed off. As a result, Yuno reached for her diary and checked if there were any changes. Mysteriously, even at this time of night, it still said that Yukiteru was walking. Yuno felt a shiver go up her spine when she read the line- what was he doing? Was he truly walking the entire distance? The thought caused her head to pound even more and, since she wanted to get to sleep, Yuno put her diary away and forced herself to close her eyes. The rain outside poked at her window, and the wind that came with it was very audible. Howls from the gusts could be heard against her home- causing the structure to creak here and there. Even with all of these distractions- it took just a bit more time and the girl was finally able to lull herself to sleep.

_Drip, drip, tap._

_Tap._

_Tap, tap._

_Tap, tap, tap._

Yuno found herself waking up at a very peculiar time of night- it must have been in the AM hours. Maybe it was around three? She could not tell- but something woke her up and she was not sure what it was. There was a chance that it could have been a nightmare that she did not recall, but it did not fit what she felt at all. No, there was something else that caused her to stir enough to snap out of her sleep and look around her room. The rain was still going- in fact, it was far worse than it was before. It hit her window- lashing at it with all that it had. Rumbles of thunder sounded here and there, showing the prowess that the storm had. Of course, the wind was present just like earlier- generally, none of the sounds that she heard were off to her. Due to this, the girl simply rolled over and closed her eyes, attempting to fall back asleep after the sudden disturbance. That was all that it was, it was something that happened to everyone at some point in time. Right… All that Yuno needed to do was continue to try to fall asleep- skipping out on too much time would make her tired. Around five minutes passed by, and she was already about to pass out again.

_Tap, tap, tap._

No… There was definitely something off, but what could it be? There was a sound that stood out against the library of storm-related sounds, one that kept Yuno from falling asleep. Her pink eyes remained open as she listened to the gentle tapping against her window- and yet she denied that it was anything that major. It must have been one of the plants in her garden blowing against the glass- the leaves were most likely poking it while they were dancing in the wind- nothing more. This is what Yuno decided to go with since it made perfect sense. Her mind was just getting to her- being silly and making such small things seem like something far scarier. There was no way that she was going to fall for the tricks that her thoughts were pulling on her- it was far too late in the night for that type of thing. So, with a small breath, Yuno attempted to try to blur out the sound by listening to the rain. It worked- the tapping soon stopped bothering her and she was able to get closer to falling back asleep. This happened until the pattern in which the taps struck her window at changed completely, and yet the wind was still blowing as it was before. Yuno's heart stopped when she picked up the very clear change- it was as if something else was hitting it entirely. Oh god no, she did not want to turn around to look at it. As anxiety began to take over, Yuno buried her face into the pillow and tried to ignore whatever it was. Just go away- just go away! This was exactly what she thought until she heard a…

_Tap, tap, THUD._

And that very sound was followed by a long and terrifying screech against the window, as if someone had just dragged their hand across it. This is when Yuno finally gave up and turned around- looking out of the glass that protected her from the outside world. This would be something that she would regret for a long time- if she knew what we good for her, the female should have stayed where she was and attempted to fall asleep even more. But she did not, and she was granted one of the most unsettling and unexpected things that she has ever seen. Standing outside of her window in the rain was a figure. Its hands were planted against the glass and its face was so close that it left a cloud whenever it exhaled. From what she could see, its breathing was very heavy and it could not keep a proper posture. Yuno was beyond terrified- she felt so sick. Someone was watching her sleep, and she had no idea how long they were there. As if she was a tiny animal running from its predator, Yuno scuttled as far as she could away from the window- hiding her face with the rabbit plush that she swore would keep her safe in the past. Then, the person who was staring at her came closer. The eyes gave away who it was- they were so blue and full of joy that Yuno could not mistake them for anyone else's. The person who was stalking her in the pouring rain was Yukiteru- and from what it seemed, he enjoyed every moment of it. In fact, he got closer and closer to Yuno- trying to reach the end of the bed that she was on. His hands left marks on the windows, and his breathing only grew louder as he got a better view of her.

The moment that he noticed her hand inching closer to her phone that was on the nightstand, the boy frowned and backed away from the window. The girl's vision was still blurry because she just woke up, but she was able to see that he was apparently running away. Still, she picked up her phone and began to let out cries of anxiety and fear as she dialed a number that she did not think that she would call. An emergency number- yes, Yuno was calling up the police. As she stood up from her bed and waited for the dispatcher to pick up, the female quickly realized that her horror story was not over just yet. Because to the right of her, she heard a light knock on her door. Then, the doorknob began to twist. Thank god she locked it- if she did not then the male would have found his way into her house without her permission. Yuno waited for the line to pick up- begging for them to answer as the knocking grew louder. They did end up responding, and the second that they did, the girl cried into the phone and pleaded for them to help her- claiming that she was in danger. The knocks turned into thuds that could be heard over the line, and Yuno's sobs only grew in volume. She was so scared- and this time, it was completely justified. "P-Please, please help me!" Yuno shakily yelled to the dispatcher as she shut her bedroom door- locking it and planting her body against it hoping that she would be able to keep Yukki out if he broke in. "Someone is trying to get into my house- they're trying to force their way in a-and I don't know what to do!"

Getting into her house would not be a chore- really. It had so many windows that Yukki could easily shatter and break to force his way in… Yuno swore that he was going to do that and try to get into her room, which is the last thing that she wanted to happen. "P-Please… He's still trying to get in- he watched me while I was sleeping! I-I just want him to leave me alone…" With that, the dispatcher understood the situation completely and told the female to stay calm and tell her where she lived, which was not very hard for Yuno to do- though a few sobs broke out here and there. They took that into account and told her that someone would be over there in just a few minutes- just stay calm. So, Yuno did her best to try to recollect herself, and in the process, she unlocked and opened the door to see if he was still trying to get in. There were no more bangs or thuds which meant that he gave up trying to do that, but he could still be in the house. If he broke a window, he could very well be in a room trying to find out how to get to her. With that in mind, Yuno slammed the door to her room and kept it locked once again. Just go away- please… That is all that she wanted him to do. Since she was so distracted by the anxiety that came with this situation, the female did not even think to check her diary- he had no desire to.

A few claps of thunder boomed overhead and the rain came down as roughly as it did before when Yuno saw the police lights begin to reach her home. There were a few, and they surrounded her home as if they were trying to cut the male off from escaping the scene. From outside, Yuno could hear car doors closing behind the howl of the wind. They were here, and they did not knock on her door at first. From what she could tell, they were most likely trying to look for Yukki- the one who was just pounding on her front door a few moments ago. Then, after a few minutes slipped by, there was a gentle knock on her door. Yuno left her room but was very hesitant to open up since she could not tell if it was the boy that she feared or the police. Thankfully, they voiced that it was them- the policemen wanted to enter her home to talk to her. Yuno obliged, unlocking the door and letting them in. They stood around for a few minutes going on about how they could not find anyone but found evidence that he was there- he had destroyed a few parts of her home while he was here. The door was beat up and part of the fence was chipped so he could jump it, and that was enough for them to want to start a case on whoever it was. They seemed to be dangerous, and if they were willing to do such a thing and invade someone's privacy like that, whoever they are… They should be caught. At last, one of them finally broke the question that Yuno was waiting to hear- before this, the rest of what they said was blocked out by the female- she was far too scarred by what occurred to even listen to anything that they had to say. But, the time came- they asked her for the answer to one single question. "Miss- do you have any idea who may be behind this?" Yuno slowly nodded, blinking a few times afterwards. Clearly, she was spaced out- trying to process everything that happened, but that was not enough to hold her back from telling them who caused this type of terror to open up within Yuno. Opening her mouth slightly, the girl muttered the name that she did not want to think about at all. There was no shame in this after what he did to her- after all, that she went out of her way to do for him...

"_Amano Yukiteru."_

* * *

**Reisuke's Super-Mega Fun After Chapter!**

**.:Entry 2: Let's Start Simple… Hopefully:.**

* * *

This time, the determined little creature was ready to make his debut- and by making it, I mean that he wanted it to be as flashy as possible. So, he collected everything that he possibly could to make it stand out- unique lighting, a nice desk to sit drinks onto… Nice, comfy chairs that the guest could lounge on…. All of that was put into play, and Reisuke was proud of himself- though, that was not uncommon because he was often full of himself anyways. When he noticed that the camera was already rolling, his little tail twitched and he himself flipped out- throwing himself at the camera and trying to turn it off. When it did not work, he sighed and went over to the light- switching it off so that the room was dark. Then, out came the dramatic lighting. It lit up the area where he was standing, giving off a feeling of mystery- that was exactly what he was trying to go for.

Coughing to clear his throat for his first lines, Reisuke looked up at the camera and continued to wear his serious look. "Hello friends, and welcome to the first official talk show hosted by your one and only- amazing Reisuke. You can call it what you will, but let's go with the Reisuke's Super-Mega Fun After Chapter, alright?" The fact that he was trying to be serious about it clearly got to someone who had quickly stumbled over to the desk in the dark- because they were not able to hold back their laughter when the little creature tried to introduce something with such a silly name while utilizing such a dark atmosphere. In that moment, the feel that he was trying to go for was ruined completely and Reisuke turned around as his tail hit the ground multiple times, along with his foot that he stomped with. "YUNOCCHI! I TOLD YOU TO BE QUIET AND SILENTLY STEP INTO YOUR SEAT- NOT TO LAUGH AT MY INTRODUCTION!" yelled the boy as he threw his papers onto the ground- presumably his script. He got so angry- so much so that Yuno quickly apologized for doing such a thing.

Then, while ignoring Yuno's desperate attempts to make up for the sin that she committed, Reisuke waddled over to the camera and snapped the lens cap on. It was meant to make it seem like the scene skipped to another one, but it was so sloppily done that it was quite laughable. Regardless, the show went on and Reisuke hopped onto the seat next to the female who he was apparently very angry at. "Alright, so I'm going to take the cap off and then you're gonna take this whiteboard and hold it for me. Hold it up so I can draw on it. Respond to me here and there and you're golden. Do you understand?" Reisuke questioned Yuno- and of course, she responded that she knew what she had to do. When all was said and done, the cap came off and then the boy waved at the camera, and so did his guest star. It was meant to be formal, but once the show finally started Reisuke reverted back to his normal self, he could not help it. With his puppets still on his hands, the male grabbed a marker and began.

"Heya all you fine folks! Today we're going to be discussing something that needs to be said- and honestly, I don't know why I'm going with it!" With that, the boy turned to Yuno and acted like he was speaking to her. "Y'see, I asked Deus what my talk show should be about, and then I was given a list of names that came out of nowhere. Honestly, I don't know what it is- Yuno won't know what it is, and not even Deus himself knew what it was- but I'm sure that you smart people will know exactly what it is when you see it!" With that, he lowered his head and put his hand to the side of his mouth, trying to show that he was whispering. "Also, if you know what it means- please tell me because I love to hear about this kind of stuff." Then, his hands went up and he extended his hands so much that he dropped the marker in the process. "ANYWA- oops…" muttered the male as he scooped the marker back up. "We have Yuno with us again- the first instance of our talk show was a bit… Weak... " Saying that was enough to make the boy look a bit sad- it went so wrong last time, and now he wanted to make up for it. So, shifting into a confident look, the creature grinned and put his marker to the white board that she held. "But now we're gonna fix it! Let's start, shall we?"

Then, the main event began. Reisuke began to draw faces onto the board- complaining that Yuno was not holding it steadily enough a few times only to be given a few apologies in return. It took a few moments, but the boy was done- and he faced the board towards the camera for it to pick up. In a hard to see green marker, there were eight faces drawn. They were of the following: Yuno, Yukki, Minene, Keigo, Orin, Taro, Twelfth and Reisuke himself. Smiling at the screen, Reisuke flicked his tail and showed it off with a small, "ta-dah…" as if he expected the audience to be impressed by his artistic ability. He stayed where he was for a few moments, and it would have been showed off for even longer if Yuno did not speak up. "U-Uh, what now?" asked Yuno- only to get a hand over her lips. "Up-bup-bup! Shut it, dull girl! You already got your interview last week although it was a mess, so we're short on content!" The poor girl was very confused- but went with he said with a small nod. Then, the show continued.

"So here's what I was supposed to tell you judging from this list…" The boy then climbed up onto the desk and looked at his art once more before drawing a few lines and symbols between different ones. When he was done, he threw himself back onto the chair and attempted to show it off once more, only for Yuno to cough. Reisuke gave her a glare since she was not willing to have his work be shown off- but continued anyways since that is how it worked in his mind. "Alright, so you can see two lines and a bunch of question marks. These all mean something, I swear. Take a good look at them- what do you think they mean?" On the board, a line connected Yuno and Yukki, which was not surprising. Another one connected Minene and Keigo- but there was no context as to why they had lines drawn between them. The others all had question marks (and stars, because Reisuke wanted it to be fancy) which had no meaning to them. In all, it looked like chicken scratch, but Yuno denied to tell him that.

"Hmm…" Looking at the board, Reisuke pretended to be trying to figure out the meaning behind it- but in reality, he did not care much for its meaning. "Why do I have a question mark? Why is there a line between Yunocchi and mean big brother? Do you have anything to say about it, guest o' mine?" Then, his gaze turned to Yuno- and it practically begged her to say something to consume more time. "Well, it's certainly something… I don't think that we know what it means, and I don't know if the viewers will either- or at least, not yet… I'm not sure though, it's just very-" And then out of nowhere, Reisuke let out a big yawn as he laid back in his chair. "Yeah, yeah- boring. You really aren't that good at being a talk show guest, aren't ya? It's always just: blah, blah, blah… You're way too dull." Talk about brutally honest- Yuno did not like that at all. Puffing out her cheeks, the female dropped the board and stood up from her chair with absolutely no warning. Muttering a few unkind words, she walked off-screen only to leave Reisuke where he was, awkwardly sitting. They were already running low on content, but now it was void of a guest! Noticing that it was still running, Reisuke went by his "the show must go on" view.

Getting his puppets to face the screen, the boy began to speak in their voices- trying to portray them properly. "Ahaha…" The girl one chuckled as it shook its head. "We… d-didn't expect our guest star to walk out on us like that- we should that she could take a joke!" Then, the male one pepped in- crossing his arms and nodding his head. "Yeah, talk about rude. She just upped and left and didn't even say goodbye- her opinion wasn't even that good!" And with that, Reisuke wished to agree with them- starting with a "yeah! She's nothing but a huge jerk! A big, mean, cruel, ugly, and... " Then, his lips froze. His body went still for just a moment and then the boy dropped the act- looking at the camera with a very bored look. "Ah, forget it…" he said, as he jumped off of the chair and made his way to the camera. "Yet another failure- will the amazing Reisuke ever get to have…" then, his anger bubbled up. Jumping up and down, Reisuke shouted towards the curtain behind him, "**ONE GOOD TALK SHOW?!**" Then, he took a few breaths and attempted to calm himself. Right, building up popularity took time- and he just had to find the right people to talk to. People who were not Yuno, apparently. Because she was "Ms. Boring Pink Haired Lady" in the creature's book. At least, in this little ruse that he created. So, closing the lens cap, Reisuke went on. "Alright, well… I'll see you all next time! And I promise- next time will be good. REAL GOOD! Just trust me- I'm your good pal Rei-Rei!" And with that, the tape cut off abruptly. Honestly, the show is a huge mess and he has a lot to work on, but we can give him an A for effort, correct?

* * *

_"Mirai Nikki", also known as "The Future Diary" was written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno. None of the characters in this fanfiction belong to me, obviously. They are simply altered to change up the story._


End file.
